


Welter

by Honeyvalentine



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ash Lynx Lives, Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Parental Max Lobo, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:54:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29011617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeyvalentine/pseuds/Honeyvalentine
Summary: Ash works under the table at a coffee shop to get out of his abusive household, someday. It’s a waiting game, turning eighteen.It’s also hard not to quit, when his coworker, Eiji, looks at him like that.
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Lee Yut-Lung & Ash Lynx, Lee Yut-Lung & Okumura Eiji, Max Lobo & Ash Lynx, Max Lobo & Okumura Eiji, Max Lobo/Jessica Randy, Okumura Eiji & Shorter Wong, Okumura Eiji & Sing Soo-Ling
Comments: 582
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there lover!!!! Tw for banana fish related themes/sexual abuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: Dino and Ash interactions, heavy implications and allusions to sexual assault, csa. Self—blaming, ptsd, hostage situations, long term abuse.

It’s rare that Ash speaks about himself, or his day over dinner. When he works up the nerve to meet Dino’s eyes, his spoon trembles in his hand. 

“Something on your mind, beautiful?” Dino smiles, predatory. Ash’s stomach turns. 

“I wanted to ask you…” He starts, zoning in on the rose-red tablecloth. “If I could start working.”

Dino pauses, and Ash immediately regrets everything he’s ever done _. _ Sheer terror strikes through his body as images of being reprimanded flash in his mind. 

Dino is frozen, before tilting his head back with laughter.

“I’ll buy you anything you want, sweetheart.”

Ash swallows, plays with his hands in his lap.

“I-I know. ” 

Dino blinks, before standing and rounding the table.

“You have so many other  _ responsibilities _ , Ash. Don’t ask me that again, okay? _ ”  _ He smiles, kissing Ash on top of the head. 

“Thank you, papa.”

_ I’m never getting out of here _ . Ash thinks, like a mantra as he follows Dino up the stairs and into the bedroom. 

———

Actually, scratch that. Fuck Dino, and fuck his rules! 

(Ash is feeling particularly bold today.)

His red converse contrast harshly against the checkered tile floor, the walls of the coffee shop a soft beige. 

Ash sits with his back against the booth. The clock on the wall reads  _ 3:45.  _ He still has time to get back before Dino gets home from work. The chair across from his scoots out, and Max—the ‘ _ manager _ ’ of this shithole—sits back down, this time with a laptop.

“Did you bring your social security card with you? Or any form of ID?” He asks, and Ash swallows, shaking his head.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to. Sorry.” 

“Okay, no problem kiddo.” Max smiles, pulling out a notepad. “I didn’t know what to bring for my first interview either.” 

Ash watches him as he writes out a list, and slides it across the table. 

“I’m gonna need a permit or license, your social security card, and then your account number for direct deposit.” Max explains, tapping the paper with his pen. Ash feels his head spin. 

“What if—what if I can’t get any of this stuff?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is there any way—I could like—not bring any of this?” Ash tries, but his heart drops when Max sighs and scratches the back of his head. 

“I mean—I can work with a student ID? But I’m gonna need  _ something.” _

Ash pauses, and bites his lip. He feels like crying—

_ Fuck it. I tried. _

“Sorry for wasting your time. I’ll go look somewhere else.” He mumbles, shaking his head, before standing, and squeezing out of the booth. 

“Wait—“ Max starts, getting up to follow him. Ash pauses, and turns around.

“Kid—there isn’t a job out there that'll accept you without this stuff.  _ Especially  _ when you’re seventeen.”

“Wait—“ Ash pales, furrowing his brow. “ _ Really?!” _

His thoughts start to spiral—he was  _ counting  _ on being able to do this. 

Max very clearly looks him up and down, before shaking his head. 

“Come with me.” He hums, gesturing towards the back.

Ash wrings his hands together, before turning on his heel, and following.

————

Eiji watches his friend intently, fingers crossed as he taps his keyboard.

“You won’t need an interview, Ei-Chan.” Ibe grins, down at his phone. “An old friend of mine—Max, is the manager there—he said he’d take care of you for me.”

Eiji lights up, legs crossed on the carpet. Him and Ibe don’t have much furniture right now, but it’s okay because they have each other. It’s like an adventure—figuring out this country, but it’s a good one. And now he’s going to be a working boy!

“Where?!”

“It’s a coffee place. Great for someone on an internship like you. Plus, Max is a journalist—similar to us, so he’ll be helpful in your studies.”

Eiji squeals, flopping back on the floor, arms spread. He holds his paper bowl in his lap. It’s crazy to think he genuinely believed his life was over.

Ibe was right, things  _ do  _ get better. 

“Thank you, Ibe-San!”

“Aww. Ei-Chan. It’s good to see you happy.”

Eiji flings himself up, and leans down to go back to slurping his takeout. The Japanese food in America is so interesting! So different, but the same.

Just like the people.

————

Ash looks around the kitchen, Max dragging him out of earshot of any customers or staff. They’re leaned over a counter by the employee entrance, right in front of the three compartment sink.

“This is  _ very  _ illegal, and I am _ one more  _ divorce away from losing my damn mind.” Max scolds, pointing a finger between Ash’s eyes. “I can’t have your parents—or  _ whoever _ takes care of you, finding out about this.”

“You and me both.” Ash nods.

“Do you have a debit or credit card?” 

“No.”

“Can you  _ get _ a debit or credit card?”

“No.”  _ This is just fucking sad. _

“What’s your number?”

Ash pauses, gut dropping.

“I can’t have you calling my phone.”

Max eyes Ash suspiciously.

“Kid—“

“ _ Please.” _

Max is quiet for a moment, glancing at something on the screen.

“So—“ he mumbles, looking up at Ash. “I’m going to have you clock in under my name—and I’m going to send your paychecks to my account—and I’ll take your share out in cash every other week.” He pauses. “That’s the best I can do for you. We have a small staff, so anything under the table is gonna be complicated.”

Ash visibly exhales, and hopes Max can see his gratitude.

“That works.”

“Okay. And since I’m not  _ allowed _ to text you—you’ll have to use the store phone to call out, and you’ll have to come in person to see the schedule.”

“That works.”

“What size are you?” Max tuts, and Ash squirms uncomfortably as he scans his torso. 

“Like—medium?” 

“Yeah. Probably.” Max mutters, squeezing past him. “Lemme grab you a uniform.”

Max digs through a plastic storage bin, checking the size tags on the shirts. He pulls out three of them, and hands Ash the pile. The uniform is a red polo, the words  _ banana fish _ embroidered on the top left, under the second button. 

“Can I keep my uniforms here?” Ash murmurs, eyes widening.

Max turns, a bit exasperated, with a hand on his forehead. 

“You’re starting to scare me.”

“Sorry.” 

“Just—come back at ten tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.” Max grimaces, clearly unsure.

Ash nods, and gives the best handshake he can manage.

“Thank you.”

—————

Ash’s fingers scramble for purchase along the ledge, shoes dangling into the backyard below, before he hastily pulls himself up, and shuts the window. Curled with his back against the cool tile, a rush of adrenaline floods through him.

_ He might actually kill me—if he finds out. _

The last time Ash disobeyed Dino was six months back, when he first got his phone. It’s his own fault, being stupid enough to seek out abuse hotlines—just to find out Dino had it tapped, and could see everything on the screen. 

The  _ things _ he endured that weekend—Ash still cries about it, sometimes.

_ Nothing has felt real ever since. _

He paces further into the house, before grabbing his book off the shelf and curling up at the table. Dino should be home any second now, because Ash hears the alarm beep off.

All the doors are triggered, but the dumbass missed the tiny sliver of a window above the downstairs bathroom mirror.

_ It’s a good thing he keeps me so thin.  _ Ash thinks, wincing at the sound of the front door unlocking. He turns the page. Holds his breath. Keys jingle. 

“How was your day, sweetheart?”

Ash exhales. He’s safe, for now.

—————

“Hello! Welcome in.” Eiji greets, turning as the bell above the door chimes gently. He’s shaking with nerves, because Yut Lung—his new coworker (and hopefully, new friend!) is supposed to be training him right now, but left him alone in the shop once Max stepped out. 

Meaning he has no clue what he’s supposed to do.

“Hey! How are you?” The customer grins—and he looks  _ super  _ cool! With sunglasses, and has an eyebrow piercing. Eiji recognizes his uniform from the restaurant next door, the name tag on his lapel reading ‘ _ Shorter :^) _ ’ 

“I am good! How are you?!” Eiji replies happily, leaning on the counter. 

“Ah—doing pretty great, now that I’m talking to someone as cute as you.” Shorter winks, and Eiji grins in delight. How friendly!

“What do you get to drink?” Eiji asks, the words fumbling around in his mouth.  _ That didn’t sound right, did it? _

“I can’t have caffeine.” Shorter explains, pulling out his phone. “S’for my sister.” He taps the screen. “She just wants this one.”

Eiji looks down at the phone, and feels the color drain from his face.

“That looks like….a coffee.” He nods, looking up at Shorter for conformation.

“Cute  _ and  _ smart. Do you ring me up now or after?”

Eiji glances at the register, the entire system completely foreign to him, and glances back at the kitchen area.

The entire system  _ still  _ completely foreign to him. 

He looks up at Shorter, flushing down to his neck.

“I need to tell you…. a secret….” he murmurs, motioning for Shorter to come closer. Shorter tilts his head, and leans over the counter.

“The only thing I know how to do,  _ is clock in _ .” He whispers, Shorter’s soft bleached hair tickling his face. He pulls back, still flustered at the confession.

“Really? And you’re here by yourself?”

Eiji nods solemnly. “Are you mad I cannot make the order?” 

“Why would I be mad? I can’t make it either.” 

“Yes, but you do not work here.”

“That’s not  _ your  _ fault though.” Shorter reasons.

Eiji nods. That makes perfect sense. This guy gets it.

“I’ll head out then—“ Shorter grins, waving goodbye, but Eiji catches his hand.

“Wait! What do I do if someone else comes in?”

“Hmm.” Shorter taps his chin. “That is a good point.”

——

“Eep! That one is so noisy!” Eiji squeals, watching Shorter jam buttons on what looks like a blender. 

“Yeah. This is like—the chopper I guess. But this is a drink place, so don’t even bother using it.” He murmurs, reaching to unplug the little machine.

Eiji nods. Shorter knows everything.

“This is for the coffee, yes?” Eiji asks, pointing to the coffee machine. “What do all these buttons mean?”

Shorter leans down, and squints at it. 

“So—this button says bold, so that means like, extra coffee, this one says espresso, and I think that means it’s iced coffee. But this is a hot pot, so probably don’t use it.”

Eiji nods. 

“And then this one says drip. That’ll just make it come out really slow, so don’t use that one either.”

“Thank you so much.” Eiji breathes, hands clasped over his chest. 

“Of course—“ Shorter murmurs, glancing down at his name tag. “ _ Eiji.” _

Eiji grins, before peeking inside the mini fridge on the counter.

“There are strawberries in here, what are those for, Shorter?”

“You guys sell coffee, so don’t use those. That’s probably just one of your coworker’s lunches.”

“True…” Eiji flushes, scratching the back of his neck. They’re suddenly interrupted by the telltale bell above the door.

“Hi, welcome in.” Shorter calls, standing behind the register. “What can I get for you, blondie?”

The guy at the register looks him up and down, a little incredulous. 

“Is Max here?” 

Shorter grins, slides his shades down his nose.

“Depends, who’s asking?”

“Ash.” The blonde deadpans, before looking around the cafe. “Why are you in a Chang Dai uniform?”

“Ash. Music to my ears.” Shorter winks, before continuing. “I don’t know who Max is, but you can talk to me, anytime.”

“Wow Shorter!” Eiji claps in awe. “That was so good!”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“What do you mean you don’t know who Max is?” Ash glares, crossing his arms. “Cut the shit and bring him out here!”

“Watch the language! I don’t even work here!” Shorter whines, hands defensively in front of him.

“Yeah, Ash!” Eiji replies, hands on his hips. “Shorter doesn’t even work here, be friendly!”

“Do  _ you  _ even work here? You look  _ eleven.” _

“He’s nineteen!”

“I’m nineteen!”

The bell on the door jingles,  _ again— _

“Sorry about that.” Max sighs, nodding to Eiji. “Where’s Yue?” He squints at Shorter. 

“Aren’t you Nadia’s brother?”

“Why?” Shorter replies, paling. “Are you gonna tell her?”

Max scrubs his face. “I dunno. Depends. What are you doing behind the counter?” 

“Helping out.”

“I mean—I  _ guess  _ that’s allowed.” He presses his palms to his eyes, groaning.

“How do you know my sister?”

“We’ve shared a building for _years_ , kid.” Max sighs, turning to Ash. “You here for your training?”

“Yes. Unfortunately.” Ash deadpans. Max rolls his eyes, rounding the counter. 

“Great. As if Yue’s attitude wasn’t enough.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?!” Ash whines, following him. “And where did you put my uniform?!”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please come be friends with me on tumblr! I would love to laugh with you!  
> @hearteiji <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: sexual assault and abuse mentions, vague depictions and allusions to said assault. Dino and Ash interactions, hostage situations, disordered eating and food aversions. Self hatred and self blame, social anxiety 
> 
> Have a beautiful day, I love you!

“You aren’t supposed to use the chopper, Ash.” Eiji explains, gently cupping Ash’s hand in his own.

Ash flinches away, scowling.

“It’s for the ice. We sell iced coffee. Did you even  _ look _ at the menu?”

“Be nice to Eiji.” Max scolds, reaching over the blonde. “And use this button here—there you go. Good job.”

Ash nods, and fills the cup with the shaved ice mix. 

“You learn fast.” Max praises, and Ash  _ definitely  _ doesn’t soak up the words. 

Eiji on the other hand, keeps fumbling with the machinery, hands a little clumsy. He looks up at Max all wide eyed, apology on the tip of his tongue. 

“Hey—you learn fast too, Eiji. You held down the place all by yourself today. You’re already an asset to the team.”

The determination on Eiji’s face is adorable—Ash has to admit. Cheeks puffed, with a steady nod. Ash is trying  _ really  _ hard to dislike him.

“Thanks Max. I will do a good job.” He replies, brow furrowed. 

Max pats Eiji on the shoulder, before heading to the back kitchen.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Yep.” Ash mutters.

The silence is awkward for Ash, but he has a feeling that it isn’t awkward for Eiji. Because he’s staring at him. And staring at him.

“How old are you?” Eiji asks, head tilted.

“Seventeen.”

Eiji’s face melts into a grin. 

“I guess I am the older one.”

Ash rolls his eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Eiji giggles, a hand in front of his mouth.

“You will have to listen to me.”

“Yeah? And what are my orders?”

Eiji hums, tapping his chin. 

“Let me look at your eyes?”

“Huh?” Ash replies, incredulous. Eiji just laughs. 

“I am from Japan. You do not see green often.” He explains, hands behind his back.

Ash is used to being gazed at, but he’s never been asked. And Eiji is blinking up at him with pure curiosity, 

rather than malice.

“Sure.” Ash shrugs. “Why not?”

Eiji puts his hands on Ash’s shoulders, and his touch is crazy gentle. It makes Ash swallow a bit. Their faces are close, and every time Ash makes eye contact he almost feels embarrassed—

“They are very bright.” Eiji breathes. “Your eyelashes are blonde.”

Eiji’s eyelashes are dark and thick. His eyes are such a deep brown they’re almost a shiny black. 

Ash never thought to look at other people so intimately before. 

Eiji pulls away, smiling. “Thank you for letting me do that.” 

Ash grins, catching Eiji’s gaze. 

“I’m blonde down under too, you wanna see?” 

“Wait—“ Eiji gasps, before breaking into a grin. “ _ Can I?!” _

“ _ What?!  _ No!” Ash squeals—eyes widening.

“I was kidding!” Eiji whines, grabbing at his arm. “ _ Ashu!” _

———————

When it comes to customers, Ash offers to take the register since Eiji’s still a pretty slow reader, and the words on the screen jumble together for  _ him _ even. He also offers to make the drinks, because Eiji gets lost kind of easily. And he offers to wipe everything down, since Eiji throws the rags away by mistake.

He doesn’t mind. He likes doing the work and having Eiji walk around all cute behind him.

Eiji’s job is to poke the straws through the lids, and Ash makes sure to tell him he’s really good at it.

“Welcome in!” Eiji calls, before turning to the door. “Ah!” He smiles. “Yue is back! I missed you!”

Yut Lung is more pretty than anything, Ash notes. He’s got a  _ lot _ of hair, tied into two braids, soft eye makeup and a feminine stature. Almost a bit like Ash.

“If you’re gonna go missing for  _ hours— _ at least clock out.” Max mutters, “you left poor Eiji here all by himself.”

“Then don’t schedule me when I have plans.” Yut Lung replies, rounding the counter. 

“You didn’t tell me you had plans.”

“You know me, so you can  _ assume _ that I would be busy.”

”On a fucking Tuesday afternoon?!”

Yut Lung’s gaze stops at Ash, and he gives the blonde a once-over starting from his shoes up to his face, before  _ laughing _ .

“Damn.” He snorts, shaking his head. “Wow, Max. We really just hire  _ anybody _ , don’t we?”

“That’s not nice.” Max scolds, but he’s very clearly trying not to laugh. “Apologize.”

“Right. I’m sorry.” Yue smiles, reaching out a hand to Ash. “Let’s be friends, okay?”

Ash rolls his eyes, swatting Yue’s hand away. “Do you have a problem with me or something?”

”It is okay, Ash!” Eiji smiles. “He said the same thing to me when I got hired!”

”You said that to _Eiji?!”_ Ash gasps, actually surprised.   


“And I’ll say it again!”   
  
Eiji is the type of guy to feel guilty about dipping bread into hot soup. Yut Lung must be some sort of demon.   


“You’re crazy.” Ash shakes his head, eyes wide.   


“Hey!” Eiji scolds, standing in front of Yue. “Be nice, he asked to be your friend, Ash!”

“Yeah Ash. I asked to be your friend.” Yut Lung mocks, sticking out his hand again.   
  


Ash takes one look at Eiji, before reaching out to shake it.

————

Yue, Ash finds, is particularly good at his job. He can manage the entire front on his own almost all the time, and can text and take orders simultaneously. 

Ash is impressed. But he will  _ never  _ say it.

Ash and Eiji are sharing a booth, both on break, when Eiji shoves a cup in Ash’s face.

“Try this! It is like… strawberry soda.” He explains, leaning over the table. The idea makes Ash feel nauseous, Dino is always weird about what he eats and drinks. But Eiji is—really nice. And if Eiji had some, maybe Ash can too?

Ash takes the cup, and drinks the smallest sip he can, barely letting it touch his tongue. 

“It’s good.” He mumbles, honestly. Eiji beams. 

“Yut Lung made it for me. He is very nice.”

Ash winces. “Yeah. Sure.”

They sit in silence for a bit, Eiji swinging his legs gently. His cheeks are puffed, and he’s looking around the cafe in interest. Ash kind of wants to be friends. He isn’t allowed to have friends, obviously, since he isn’t even allowed to leave the house. But it would be cool to be Eiji’s friend. 

It would be cool to know more about Eiji.

“Where are you from…. in Japan?” Ash tries, tucking a tuft of hair behind his ear. Eiji lights up. 

“Izumo. Do you know of it?”

“No—“ Ash mumbles. He thinks about looking it up later. To give them something to talk about.

————

“Okay.” Max starts, flinging open one of the cabinets beneath the prep station. “Who was in charge of the order this week?”

Yue looks down at his nails, then up at Max. “You were.”

“Oh.” Max breathes, furrowing his brow. “That’s probably right.” He turns to Ash, who’s washing his hands at the sink.

“Can you go to Chang Dai and ask Nadia for a box of straws? We don’t get any more until this weekend.” He hums, nodding towards the door. Ash blinks.

“Yeah. Sure.”

It’s not quite dinner time, so the restaurant next door is empty. Ash walks inside, his hands shoved inside his pockets, and looks around.

It’s a decently sized place, only a few customers in the lobby. There’s a front counter with a few registers, and the wall behind it has a small window peeking into the kitchen. A woman peeps her head through, her short stature only revealing half of her face, before rounding the corner towards Ash.

“Welcome in.” She nods. 

“Are you Nadia?” 

“Yeah.”

“Max wants to know if we can borrow some straws.”

“Yeah. Sure.” She breathes, wiping her hands on her pants. She turns around, and shouts something Ash doesn’t have the knowledge to translate into the kitchen.

Ash hears a voice call back—one that’s unpleasantly familiar—before Shorter hops to the front with a box in his hands.

“Oh shit!” He grins, looking at Ash. “He’s my friend, Nadia!”

Nadia turns towards Ash. “Are you his friend?”

“No.”

“Figured.” 

“Ash!” Shorter whines, brushing his arm while handing him the box. 

“Have a good day, Nadia.” Ash smiles, happy to ignore Shorter. Nadia grins back. 

“See you.”

————

Ash  _ needs  _ to be out by 7:00, because Dino could be home any time after 7:30. Usually it’s later, if he wants to go down to Club Cod, but Ash will never see the light of day  _ again _ if he gets caught. 

“Max.” He starts, pulling the man’s sleeve. “I know my shifts end at eight this week, but can I go at seven?”

“Sure.” Max shrugs. “Why?” 

“I have to be at the house by a certain time.” Ash tries, wringing his hands.

“Do you need a ride?” 

“I do.” Yut Lung interrupts, squeezing between them. 

“I'm talking to Ash _. _ ” Max sighs. “You want me to take you home, Ash?” 

Ash shakes his head. He’d like to keep these people as far away from his house as possible.

————

“You’re so quiet, Ash. Everything okay?” Dino coos, stroking Ash’s hair back and out of his face. 

“Yes.” Ash replies, splayed out on the pillow, eyes caught on a corner of the room. He thinks about the way his bangs tickle his cheek, thinks about the air conditioning, and thinks about how the drink Eiji gave him tasted in his mouth.

That’s right.  _ Eiji. Eiji. Eiji.  _ That’s better. He lets his eyes fall shut, thinks about Eiji’s smile, his clumsy hands. 

“Open your eyes, beautiful.”

Maybe Eiji will ask to look at his irises again tomorrow, and the gentle gaze will wipe him clean. 

“You look so sad. Poor thing.”

Ash is so sad that he actually tries to pretend the hand on his shoulder is a comforting one.

That someone out there loves him.

—————

Eiji got to work early today, and decided to visit Chang Dai rather than wait for Max to come in and unlock the doors for him. It’s good to know that Max won’t be there before nine, so he’ll let himself sleep in a teeny bit from now on.

“You like it there?”

“Ash and Yue are very nice.” Eiji peeps, swinging his legs back and forth on the countertop. Shorter said it was okay for him to sit on it, but Eiji isn’t too sure. Eiji watches as he takes another bundle of green onions from the stack, cutting them into chives.

Shorter is really good with a knife!

“If Yut Lung wasn’t sixteen I’d have a word with him.” Shorter hums, chopping away. “Once Sing ran next door to borrow some napkins from you guys—and came back  _ crying _ .”

“ _ No!“ _ Sing squeals, peeping his head through the kitchen’s window. “I mean—I didn’t— _ that never happened!” _

“Ah, a misunderstanding, then.” Eiji smiles, wiggling his fingers to wave at Sing through the window. “I believe you.”

Sing nods, puffing his cheeks, and ducks back down to finish prepping the front. 

“Here—scoot over.” Shorter grins, before grabbing Eiji by the waist and sliding him across the countertop. Eiji giggles, and presses his palms against the cool metal. 

“What about Ash? He cool?”

“Yeah!” Eiji grins. “He’s blonde!” 

“You think he’s pretty or something?” Shorter teases, ruffling Eiji’s bangs.

Eiji flushes, scratching his cheek. 

“Maybe a little.”

“I bet he thinks you’re pretty too….” Shorter grins, poking his side. 

“No! Don’t say that!” Eiji blushes. “I open with him today… I don’t want it to be weird!”

“Oh? Why not? Does he make you nervous?”

“Just stop!” Eiji squeals, taking Shorter’s hand, tangling their fingers together playfully.

“Sorry, sorry!”

————

“Sorry, Ash.”

“Huh?” Ash sniffs, rubbing his eyes.

“Just rest up for today, okay sweetheart?”

Ash is a little too tired to respond, his head lolling against the pillow like a dead weight. 

Dino grabs his cheeks, squeezing his face in a single closed palm.

“You know  _ better  _ than to ignore me, Aslan.”

“Right.” Ash breathes, brow furrowed. “It’s okay.”

He can hear Dino leave—dizzy. He has work today, he remembers, vaguely, and stumbles to stand. 

The light outside is too bright, and the walk to work is painful and sharp. As much as Ash wants to skip, it’s his second day. 

And this was bound to happen eventually.

He rounds the corner to the back of the cafe, they don’t open for another hour, but he assumes everything is done because he can see Max smoking outside. It’s just the three of them this morning—he recalls, thoughts a bit jumbled. Eiji is probably finishing up. 

“Good morning, Ash.” Max calls, nodding to him. Ash clears his throat and squints.

“Morning.” He croaks, trying to walk gently on his feet as he rounds the landing towards the employee entrance. He reaches for the handle, cool to the touch, but jolts when a hand curls around his upper arm.

“Stay out here for a sec.” Max nods, putting out his cigarette. Ash turns to face him, squinting in the morning light.

“Everything okay?” Max mumbles, giving Ash a once-over. “You’re walking funny, kiddo.” 

“I’m okay.” Ash breathes. 

“You sure? You look upset.”

“Yeah. I’m sure.” 

He’s okay. He’s had worse. 

He’s had so much worse.

“Hmm.” Max pauses, before smiling. “Did your parents do something to upset you?” 

Ash feels his face crumble, and nods subconsciously, head hanging low.

“I’m pretty good at that, huh?” Max winks, before rubbing Ash’s arm, up and down. Ash stiffens at the contact, swallowing, and zones in on the touch. 

“Did they hit you?” 

Ash’s eyes flicker back and forth. What does he say to that? He probably shouldn’t spill too much. 

“No.”

Ash can tell that Max doesn’t believe him, given the soft look on his face. To Ash’s surprise, Max reaches out his hand, and cups the back of Ash’s head, before pulling him against himself, gently.

It feels like the world has stopped spinning—his cheek against Max’s chest, a hand tangled in his hair. He exhales, almost melting a bit. His body never reacts well to touch, so why is he slowly curling his arms around him, returning the embrace? Max scratches the back of his head a bit, and it feels really good. Ash never feels good. 

Ash let’s himself soak up the light affection for a few more seconds, before pulling away. He tries to burn this physical feeling of warmth into his memory for later, for when he’ll need it.

“Sorry kiddo.” Max grins, patting his back to guide him inside. “I know I’m pushy. It’s just that— I’d want someone to be looking out for my son.”

That makes sense, 

“You have a son?” Ash mumbles, making his way through the building. 

“Michael. Do you wanna see a picture!?” Max asks, ripping out his wallet before Ash can reply.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! IL OVE YOU!  
> Triggers: sexual assault, disorders eating and food anxiety, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse. Dino Golzine

The door has been getting stuck a  _ lot _ today, Ash notes, pulling out another case of strawberries from the walk in freezer. Cheap ass building.

“We’re so fucking slow!” Max sighs, leaning over the metal countertop. 

Eiji tilts his head like a puppy. “Are we?” 

“Yeah.” Max nods, before clapping his hands together. “I’m gonna send you and Ash outside to spin one of those cardboard arrows.”   


Ash laughs from where he's cutting the fruit.

"What's so funny?" Max smiles, nodding to him.

"The joke you just made?" Ash replies, incredulous.

"I wasn't joking."

Ash’s eyes widen, face heating up.

“I’m not doing that.”

“I already have the hats.” Max replies, pointing to Ash. “We’ve got a banana and a fish. Good thing you’re blonde, right?”

All the blood drains from Ash’s face. “ _ Seriously?!” _

“That sounds so fun!” Eiji squeals, grabbing Max by the arm. 

“Atta boy. You wanna go grab them from the back?”

No no no no no no—

“Why can’t you do it?!” Ash huffs, stomping his foot like a toddler.

“Because it’s embarrassing.” Max deadpans.

“I think it’s cool!” Eiji grins, peeping up at him before running past Ash into the kitchen.

“Max!!” Ash whines, crossing his arms.

“What?”

“I’m not doing that!”

“Why not?”

“Because—argh! You know why!”

Eiji rounds the corner, the top of his head covered in the cloth outline of a fish’s mouth. It’s yellow and blue, and strapped cutely under his chin. 

“You look stunning!” Max smiles, before reaching under the counter and pulling out a cardboard sign. 

“Corporate keeps sending these—I never got the chance to use em’.” 

Eiji reaches up towards Ash, putting the banana-peel shaped hat over his head, and strapping it on. 

“Handsome!” 

Ash is flushing for eleven different reasons right now. He hears Max laugh a bit, and flicks his gaze up to give him the best death-glare he can manage.

“Uh oh! Scary!” Max jokes, and Ash wants to kill him. Actually kill him. Forget the hug from this morning—this man is  _ evil. _

“Stop hiding behind me, Ash!” Eiji yelps, putting his hands on his hips. “And stop taking your hat off!”

A car drives by and honks, making Eiji turn and wave. 

“See?! They love it!”

Ash scrunches his nose, hiding his face behind his hands, and watches Eiji pick the arrow back up to clumsily twirl it around. This is fucking miserable. Eiji doesn’t have any shame.

“We have to try our best. And you have not held the sign once!”

“I’m  _ not  _ holding the sign.”

“Hold the sign!”

“No—“ Ash huffs, crossing his arms.

Eiji’s eyes glint mischievously, before he drops the arrow, wraps his arms around Ash from behind, and picks it up again. 

“Look! I am your arms!” He squeals, and Ash is  _ immediately _ wiggling in his grasp. 

“Let go! Seriously!” Ash cries, hair tickling his face as lines of cars pass by. Eiji just giggles, holding Ash tightly against his chest. 

“See? I was an athlete! I can catch you!”

“Eiji— _ please!” _

“Nuh-uh! I wear the fish hat all morning—while you hide behind the traffic light! Lazy boy!”

“Eiji!”

———

“How was it?!” Max grins, nodding to the doorway. Ash rips the hat off his head, and hurls it at his face, all red and teary.

“I’m going on break.” He seethes, stomping to the register like a child.

“Are you mad at me now?” Max gasps, feigning hurt. Ash ignores him.

“Wait, Ash!” Eiji gasps, following him. “Let’s go together! We can get lunch!”

———

This is officially the worst day of Ash’s life.

“Ash—try this one!” Shorter grins, turning Ash’s chin in his direction.

“Stop shoving it in my face!” He huffs, leaning in towards Eiji instead. Who is still wearing the fish hat. He’s squished helplessly between the two _worst_ people in New York—eating at Chang Dai, and is struggling to think of a worse situation.

“But you aren’t eating!” Shorter whines, holding another spoonful up to Ash’s mouth. 

“Cause I’m not hungry!”

Eiji furrows his brow. “But you haven’t had anything today.”

“It’s fine, Eiji.” Ash rolls his eyes, hands in his lap. 

Shorter nudges his shoulder, not letting up. “Aww. Are you shy?”

“No.” Ash huffs, crossing his arms.

“I think he’s shy.” Eiji confirms, crawling over Ash to talk to Shorter. “He cried because of banana hat.”

“Wait—That’s so cute!” 

Ash shoves Eiji off of his lap, before crossing his arms. “I said I’m not fucking shy!”

To his disdain—Shorter and Eiji burst out laughing. He flushes, and hunches in on himself.

”So—“ Shorter starts, grin taking up half his face—“What do you like to do, Ash?”  
Ash notes how their hands brush together gently on the booth, and blinks.

“I like—Reading. And—I like writing.”

Shorter smiles impossibly wider. “You get good grades in school?”

“I don’t go.”

“It’s okay. Me and my sister both had to drop out, there’s always time to get your GED.” He smiles, shoving another forkful of food into Ash’s face. 

It’s getting really difficult to stick to his diet right now, so Ash takes a teeny bite of the noodles. It seems to make Shorter happy, because he immediately scoops up another forkful.

Dino always orders for him at restaurants. Ash deserves a little bit of payback.

“What—what do you like to do?” Ash mumbles, and Shorter tucks a tuft of blonde hair behind Ash’s ear. 

“I mostly do shit with my sister. Or ride my bike around. Have you ever been on one?! I could take you.”

“It’s really fun!” Eiji peeps, and he rests a hand on Ash’s thigh, making him jolt a bit in surprise. 

“We should all go do something! Like get ice cream!”

Dino would fucking loathe these two boys.

“My dad’s really strict. I can’t go out that much.” Ash explains, scratching his cheek. “He can’t know that I have a job, either.”

Shorter waves his hand, as if to shrug it off. “That’s cool. We don’t have to go out. Can you have people over?”

“No.” Ash hums. This is embarrassing.

“That’s cool. What’s your curfew?”

“No—“ Ash breathes, turning to Shorter. “I’m not allowed to leave the house.”

The silence that falls is deafening.

“Oh—sweetheart—what do you  _ mean _ you can’t leave the house?”

Ash flushes at the pet name, it’s different than when Dino uses it. “I'm not allowed to go out by myself.”

“Yeah. Never heard of that one before.” Shorter pauses. “Aren’t you seventeen? That’s so weird. What else does your dad do?”

He holds another forkful of noodles in front of Ash’s face, and Ash takes a bite without thinking. How long did he have that headache? It’s feeling better already. 

“I dunno.” Ash hums, swallowing, and letting Shorter feed him another bite. “Normal dad stuff.”

“Oh well. We can just sneak you out.” 

“That would be good.” Ash blinks, and Shorter is giving him soup now, which is better than whatever he was eating before. 

“You like that one?”

“Yeah.” Ash breathes.

“Ah! We should get Japanese food next, I think Ash would like natto!” Eiji chirps, an arm around Ash’s shoulder. 

They’re both really, really bad influences on him.

————

“Yue!” Eiji cheers, watching his friend walk through the door. “I am closing with you tonight?!”

“Yeah. Because  _ someone  _ has to leave at seven.” Yut Lung deadpans, dropping his bag on the counter. Eiji notices the little cat keychain hanging off the strap and grins. 

“That is so cute! Do you like Nori-Nori?”

“I don’t know what that is, but I probably won’t like it.” He deadpans. “What the hell are you wearing?” 

Eiji points to his head, gleefully. “This?! Max said I can wear it with the uniform!” 

Yue blinks, before shrugging it off.

“Ring me up.” He orders Eiji. “I’m buying a water bottle.”

Eiji steps over to the register and squints, before tapping the screen. Wrong button. He taps it again.

“Hey, Ash. Can you please help me?”

“Sure.” Ash hums, leaning over him. 

“Don't help Eiji. He should know this by now.” Yue interrupts, shoving Ash aside. “Now ring me up. I’m paying with a card.”

Eiji pales, his finger hovering over the screen. “Ah—right.”

“Nope. That’s for cash.” Yue huffs, tapping the screen again. “Now put it in correctly.”

“Can you take it back to the starting screen?” Eiji mumbles apologetically.

Yue lifts an eyebrow, and puts his hand on Eiji’s shoulder.

“Just quit already.” 

“W-what?” 

“You clearly can’t do anything useful.” Yue explains, shoving Eiji back a bit. “So just quit. Right now.”

“Hey—“ Ash interrupts, slipping himself between the two. “Here—it’s this one, Eiji.” He points, patting his arm. “Don’t listen to Yue.”

Eiji feels his lip tremble, and looks up at the other two boys helplessly. “W-why would you say this to me?” He mumbles, face pinched. “I do not want to quit.”

“Nobody wants you to quit, Eiji.” Ash soothes.

Eiji furrows his brow, and Ash watches in  _ horror _ as his eyes well up with tears. 

“No—no no no—“ 

“Eiji—“ Yue sighs, reaching out to pat his back. “I didn’t mean that. Ignore me, I’m really mean.”

Eiji sniffs, before burying his face in his hands.

“You—not mean. You are right.” 

His shoulders shake, and fat tears drip down his chin.

“Eiji—don’t cry—“ Ash breathes, because fuck, this is the saddest shit he’s ever seen in his life. Eiji looks up at him, and all the worry dissipates from Ash’s face as Eiji turns on his heel, and flings himself into Ash’s arms.

Ash lets out a puff of breath, pulse stuttering at the touch, but slowly returns the embrace, petting Eiji gently.

_ “Ashu— _ Yue breaks my heart!”

What does Ash even say to that!?

“Uhh…. don’t cry…” Ash soothes, not really knowing any other words of comfort. He tries patting Eiji gently between his shoulders. This is kind of awkward.

“Eiji—“ Yue interrupts, touching his back. “Stop crying and I’ll make you the drink you like.”

Eiji perks up and sniffs, scooting back from Ash a bit, his mood suddenly flipping right back around. “For real?”

“Yeah. Cause I’m sorry. So knock it off.”

Eiji wipes his nose thoughtfully, and a small smile ghosts over his face. 

“Can you make it right now?!” 

“Yep.” Yue punctuates, reaching for the pitcher. 

Eiji cheers, and Ash immediately misses the warmth that dissipates the second Eiji leaves his arms. There’s this sudden longing—one that wasn't there before. 

It’s a long walk home after he clocks out. And he thinks about Eiji the entire time.

———

“Are you feeling good today, Aslan?”

“Kinda.” Ash mumbles, poking at his salad. He was worried he’d be too full for dinner, but if anything he’s still kind of starving. Just not as woozy as before. He’s acting normal, so why would Dino ask him that?

“You were acting sick for a while. Now you’re looking better.”

Oh. Ash is a _lot_ less shaky, and he’s more in touch with his surroundings and shit. 

“Yeah. I feel good.”

“And why’s that?”

Ash feels his heart drop. 

“I finished what I was reading. And I’m happy—about that.” He lies, scratching his fork against his plate.

There’s a beat of silence.

“Liar.”

Huh?

“What?”

“You’ve been acting differently, so I brought your book to work with me.”

Ash’s ears ring—the silence is deafening. Dino is smiling at him from across the table—he can’t really think clearly—and— 

“Oh—beautiful boy. Don’t be scared. Just tell me what you’ve been up to, and we can sort this out.” Dino coos, motioning for Ash to stand. He scoots his chair out, and dizzily rounds the table to Dino’s side.

“I haven’t done anything.” Ash mumbles, trying to keep a steady gaze. Dino stares at him, like he can see right through him. God—sometimes Ash thinks he can read his mind. Like there’s nothing he can keep safe and hidden away.

“You want to do this the hard way?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please share your thoughts!! I love you!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. 
> 
> Take care of yourself I love and cherish you thank you for reading!

If he’s late—I’m losing my _shit_ , Eiji.” Yue groans, kicking the side of the counter in frustration. Eiji laughs nervously, wincing at his friends outburst, and sighs.

“Listen,” he starts. “Ash probably just slept in bed too much. It is okay.”

“Yeah.” Yue rolls his eyes. “Probably.”

The cafe falls silent, an unspoken understanding hanging in the air between them. 

“I’ll go unlock the doors.” Eiji nods, eye contact lingering longer than usual.

“Thank you.” Yue hums, and Eiji hasn’t really heard him say that before. 

————

“Are you trying to leave me Ash?” Dino murmurs, directly into the blonde’s ear so he can’t tune him out. “Where would you even go?”

Not this.

“Oh—Ash.” He pauses, slamming his chest against the desk, so hard that Ash cries out. “This is the best you’re ever going to get. Nobody could love you if they tried. And god, do I try.”

It’s too much, and Ash collapses, sobbing into the carpet, trying to press his ear to his shoulder, anything to muffle Dino’s voice. Ash already knows these things—but hearing them hurts. So badly he can barely take it. 

“I haven’t seen you cry in a while. Can’t handle a little bit of honesty?”

Ash doesn’t hide his tears. There’s no point. 

“If you’re hiding something from me, I’ll kill you. And nobody will care if you’re dead.”

 _I know_. Ash thinks, limp from exhaustion. 

————

He’s only an hour late—when he stumbles through the back door, reaching under Max’s desk to pull his uniform polo over his shitty t-shirt. Dino never marks his face, luckily, but he has a long sleeve on under his regular clothes to mask the marks all along his arms. 

“Ash?” Eiji peeps, poking his head around the corner and grinning. His face falls though, when he notices Ash’s blotchy complexion.

“Did you have a bad day?” 

“No.” Ash coughs, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine. Yue came in for you!”

Uh oh.

Ash pales, and rounds the corner towards the front—Yue leaning back on the counter, his face pinched and brow furrowed. 

“Why the hell didn’t you at least call?!”

Ash flushes, and almost wants to cry all over again.

“I—I overslept. I’m sorry.”

Yue gives him a look, deep in thought as if analyzing Ash’s words.

“Don’t ever make me come in for you again, do you understand?!” 

“I’m sorry.” Ash repeats, voice wavering a bit. He flinches when Eiji claps a hand over his shoulder.

“Do not worry. We did not even tell Max, so you are in no trouble.” He smiles, reassuring. And it _is_ reassuring, thank god Max doesn't know.

He can’t find another job—it’ll set him back way too much. 

“You better be sorry.” Yue murmurs, grabbing his bag off the counter. “I’m leaving. Ash, walk me to my car.”

Ash stumbles when Yut Lung bumps his shoulder, and follows him awkwardly to the back. He flinches as the younger boy practically slams the back door against the concrete wall of the building. 

“I—didn’t know you had a car.” Ash mumbles, uncharacteristically pliant. Yue turns to look at him, a grin on his face. 

“If I ask Max for a ride, gas money is cheaper.”

“You pay for your own gas?” Ash huffs, surprised.

“I’m emancipated. I pay for my own _everything_.” Yue deadpans, sticking out his tongue. Ash hops down the landing towards Yue’s car. To his surprise, it’s an older model, modest, and anything but nice. Ash inwardly shrugs, and reaches down to open the door for him. 

_He did cover for me, after all._

Yue smiles at the gesture. “What a gentleman.” He huffs, tossing his bag to the passenger side. He turns to Ash, leaning against the tattered armrest.

“Take this.” He nods, reaching into his pants pocket and flicking a sticky note towards the blonde. Ash hops back in surprise a bit, but catches the folded piece of paper, flinching yet again when Yue slams the door in his face. 

After watching him drive away, Ash looks down at the note dumbly, before unfolding it at its edges.

_I’m pretty sure I’ve been where you are._

_555–XXX—XXXX ~♡Y_

————

“Did something bad happen?” Eiji breathes, a soft hand on Ash’s elbow. “You can tell me about it. You are acting strange.”

Ash swallows, glancing at Eiji from the side. 

“Sometimes—my dad says things to me that are kinda fucked up.” He swallows, looking down at the rag in his hands. “And I think he’s right. Sometimes.”

“Oh?” Eiji peeps, ducking down to get a better look at Ash’s face. “What does he say to you?”

Ash is still weak from this morning, wounds fresh in his mind. He can’t control himself. 

“Stuff like—like nobody would miss me if I was gone, or like—nobody lo—I mean likes me.”

“What?!” Eiji gasps, hands on his hips. “But I like you!”

“You don’t know me like he does.” Ash shakes his head, brow furrowed. “You’d hate me—if you knew. About how I am.”

“I can decide that for myself!” Eiji huffs, stomping his foot. “Here—we will become close friends, and I will know everything about you—and _then_ I will share my opinion.” 

Ash feels his eyes widen, breath catching in his throat. Eiji just smiles, determined, and claps his hands together.

“Come here—“ Eiji starts, leaning forward, and wrapping his arms around Ash’s shoulders. Ash stiffens, but hesitantly melts into the touch. It feels good—after being knocked around so much, to be held a little bit. Eiji is so warm, and a little bit smaller than him, his body plush. He smells like cinnamon and shitty coffee, and the little kid shampoo Ash remembers sniffing at the store when he was younger. His hands are gentle on his back, letting Ash pull away if he wants. Ash doesn’t, but he doesn’t hug back either. Just rests his head a bit, like a nap, like he’s tired and Eiji is letting him recharge.

Eiji eventually pulls away, after letting Ash soak for a minute. Like relishing in a hot bath after spending hours naked in the snow. That's how Ash can best describe Eiji. A sight for sore eyes.

“Your dad lies to you. You were gone this morning and I missed you.”

Oh. 

“Okay.” Ash peeps, voice wavering. He hides his face behind his bangs, and keeps working.

————

“We should text each other.” Eiji peeps, after waving goodbye to a customer. “Since your dad does not like you to go out.”

Ash shakes his head, hopping onto one of the high top seats. “I’m not allowed to have numbers in my phone—he can see what I do on there.”

“Oh?” Eiji hums, sliding right next to him. The stools can spin, so Eiji smiles and loops himself around a bit. “I wish we could do something—like get you one. Maybe with your paycheck?”

“I have to save it for something else.”

Eiji taps his chin, as if deep in thought, before pulling out his own phone, and shooting out a message. He swings himself down and off the stool, before smiling at Ash from over his shoulder.

“We will figure something out. Do not worry.” 

“Yeah.” Ash murmurs. “Sure.”

———

Ash unbuttons his polo, sliding it down under the counter before clocking out. Eiji grabs his elbow, glancing between Ash and the time.

“Can you wait just a minute?” He asks, wide eyed and sweet.

Ash clears his throat. “Uhh—sure?”

Eiji seems giddy with excitement, and it’s making Ash a little nervous. His thoughts are interrupted, when the front door swings open.

“Hey!” Shorter grins, waving to Eiji from the entrance. 

“Did you bring it?!” Eiji yelps in excitement, pouncing onto the counter with his palms. Shorter nods, and reaches into his pocket.

“Ash!” Eiji grins. “Come here!”

Ash raises an eyebrow, tentatively walking over towards the other two boys. “What are you guys talking about?” He murmurs.

Shorter pulls out a phone from his pocket, and slides it to Ash.

“For you.” 

“Huh?”

“Take it as a compliment. I want your number so badly I got you an entire phone.” Shorter winks, scooting the cell closer to Ash.

“What?!” Ash shakes his head, gut dropping. 

Shorter tilts his head in confusion “What?”

“What?!”

Shorter just tilts his head again. “What?”

Ash blinks, before rephrasing his question. 

“Why are you—I mean—are you actually? Are you serious?”

“Yeah?”

_“Why?”_

“Cause Eiji says you aren’t allowed to have one—so you can just have my sister’s old one? I dunno.” Shorter pauses scratching the back of his neck. “Uh oh! Now everyone’s acting weird! Eiji—wanna say something?”

Eiji blinks, before picking it up off the counter and handing it to Ash. 

“Now we can text when you are at home! We will make a chat and everything.”

“I can’t accept this.” Ash murmurs, looking down at the phone in his hands. Shorter smiles and pats his shoulders.

“Me and Nadia have a few old ones, I mean—there’s really no use for them.” He shrugs.

Ash looks down at it, blinking back tears. It trembles in his hands.

“Here—“ Eiji smiles, reaching his arm around Ash. 

“Let us put in our numbers. I will give you Max’s too!”

Ash doesn’t reply, just listens to them talk—listens to their laughter, and feels himself ease up a bit. 

He really wants a normal life.

Eiji hands the cell back to Ash, and pats his arm.

“You can go home now. Thank you for staying back.”

Ash’s hands tremble. He looks between the two, a little lost. 

“Hey—really, it’s not a big deal.” Shorter reassures him, shaking his head. “Stop being all sad!”

Ash swallows, before slipping it into his pocket, eyes averted towards the ground.

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Let us know that you get home safe.” Eiji smiles, wiggling his fingers in a half wave. 

Ash can’t bring himself to smile back.

————

Eiji: (*^ω^*) hello you guys!

Shorter: hey eiji <3

Ash: hi

Eiji: would you like to see what me and Ibe are working on?(°▽°)

Shorter: yeah!!!!

Ash: Ibe?

Ash curls up on the couch, legs underneath himself comfortably. It’s weird, talking to people like this. He feels anxious almost, about everything he sends. And guilty. Because he knows they have the wrong idea about him, but he’s awful enough to take advantage of their kindness. He made Eiji hug him today. He’d probably be disgusted if he knew. 

Ash shuts it off when he hears the alarm beep, and hops up the stairs to hide it. He doesn’t get any privacy at the house, there aren’t any locks on the doors, and he deals with Dino rhythmically rummaging through his things—reading everything in his notebooks. Ash slips it onto his top shelf, underneath a pile of clothes. 

_If he finds this—I’ll actually be dead_. Ash thinks. But he doesn’t care as much as he should. There are scarier things than dying. 

He knows that by now.

————

“I’m really sorry,” Dino starts, ruffling his hair. “about last night and this morning. Were you finally able to get some sleep?” 

Ash shakes his head. “I was too worried. I thought you hated me.” 

He’s a shitty person, so he can manipulate Dino too.

“Aww, sweetheart.” Dino hums, scratching his head. “You poor thing. I’ll make it up to you.”

Ash feels sick. “Thanks.”

Ash wants to be anywhere but here.

————

“I got your message Ash!” Max grins, beckoning him further into the cafe. “I can take advantage and call you in whenever I want now. You get a new phone or something?” 

“Yeah. And don’t make me block you.” Ash rolls his eyes, but his heart clenches. It’s him, Max, and Eiji today which is nice. Max told him that they’re usually super busy on the weekends, which will be a huge difference from his usual experience at the job. 

Ash takes his place on the line, and starts getting everything ready for the day.

“Good morning!” Eiji peeps, clapping his hands together with a smile. “There is already people in the parking lot! I feel nervous!” 

Max pats him on the back. “Don’t worry. You'll just use the register for today.” 

Ash is really glad that Eiji will get the easier job. He doesn’t want to see him cry again. 

“Do you want to go unlock the doors, Ash?” Max smiles, and Ash doesn’t, because this sounds actually awful, but he grabs the keys from the hook on the wall nonetheless.

———

“Please tell me this is decaf—“ Max starts, and Ash almost hits him out of frustration. 

“The ticket doesn’t say that!”

“Cause he asked for it after—“ Max sighs. “s’fine, just remake it.”

Ash scrunches his face, and tosses the drink into the trash. “Fuck this—“

 _“Language!”_ Max scolds. “People are in the lobby.”

Ash slams a new, empty cup on the counter, and scowls.

“Whatever, _dad.”_

The silence that falls between them is so heavy—you could cut it with a knife. Ash feels his face heat as his own words dawn on him.

”Awww—Ash!”

Ash lets his hair fall in his face, and blocks his reddening cheeks with his shoulder. “Don’t—Don’t say anything!”

God—how can he bring himself to look at Max after that?!—he doesn’t even call Dino dad! There’s no fucking excuse for mixing that up! He hasn’t called _anyone_ dad in years!

To Ash’s horror—Max snickers from beside him, and bursts into laughter. 

“Ash—you’re too funny!” He grins, shaking his head.

“I didn’t—I’m just—I wasn’t thinking.”

“Okay.” Max replies, still clearly amused.

Ash slams the coffee pot back into place, white knuckling the handle. “Stop laughing about it!”

Max shakes his head again. “I’m laughing about something else.”

“You’re so annoying!” Ash whines, kicking him in the ankle. “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m focusing on work.”

“Okay.” Max smiles, and Ash clenches his fists, and whines.

“I didn’t do anything!” 

“I thought we weren’t talking anymore.” Max replies, winking at the blonde from the side. 

Ash scrunches his face, and pouts for the rest of the rush.

———

“That was difficult!” Eiji smiles, wiping his forehead. “I like it better when we are empty.” 

“I know—crazy right?” Max smiles, ruffling Eiji’s hair. “Are you hungry?”

Eiji nods and licks his lips. “Yes. Are you picking up?”

“From Chang Dai. What do you want?”

Eiji’s eyes light up, and he reaches for his wallet. “Nadia knows what I get. Thank you!” 

“I’m paying.” Max smiles, and Eiji bounces back on his heels in excitement.

“What do you want, Ash?”

Ash flushes, and looks away. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Ash.” Max sighs. “I have _never_ seen you eat.”

“Cause I’m not a fatass like you.” Ash hisses, hands on his hips. 

Max gasps, faking offense. “Ash!”

“It’s true.” Ash murmurs, looking down at his nails. “Now leave me alone.”

Max just smiles and turns to Eiji. “He’s being mean because he accidentally—“

“Knock it off!” Ash interrupts, stomping his foot. “Just go next door already!”

Max laughs, before walking through the lobby, flinching at Ash’s glare. “Okay! Okay!”

Ash crosses his arms, and flings himself backwards to lay on one of the booths.

“What happened?” Eiji peeps, gazing over Ash cutely. He just shakes his head, arm splayed over his eyes.

“Don’t ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally don’t like this chapter, I feel like my writing is weird, but I hope you at least felt a little warm reading it! I love you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you! Remember that!

Shorter: wait

Shorter: make this one: :,3

Eiji: ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

Shorter: :0

Eiji: Σ（ﾟдﾟlll）

Shorter >:(

Eiji: ಠ_ಠ

Eiji and Shorter text a  _ lot _ . Ash finds himself constantly scrolling up just to read the old messages. He wants to chime in every once and a while—maybe say something—but he’s worried they’d stop using the group chat if he replied. 

Every time Ash actually says something, he shakes with nerves at their responses. He can’t fuck this up. Not like everything else in his life.

He  _ can’t  _ fuck this up.

Eiji: how are you guys today?

Fuck fuck fuck fuck—Eiji said ‘you guys’—so Ash is allowed to respond to this one. God—

Ash: good how are you

Ash squeezes his eyes shut, heart hammering in his chest. Why aren’t they responding?! They were talking back and forth pretty quickly just a minute ago. Did he say something weird?! 

Eiji: that’s great to hear! I am good. What are you doing today?(*´ω`*)

Ash doesn’t work today, so he’s going to read in bed until Dino gets home. They made fun of him for reading though.

Or did they?

Maybe they were teasing. Ash furrows his brow. This is so frustrating! Why can’t he just be someone different?

Shorter: I’m getting sing a present 

Shorter: for his 8th grade graduation 

Eiji: I am going to do work stuff with Ibe! 

Ash: I’m not really doing anything 

Ash feels actual tears well up in his eyes—this isn’t supposed to be hard. This is not a difficult task for any other person on the planet— _ everyone _ his age has friends. 

No wonder nobody likes him.

Shorter: omg ash

Shorter: come with me!

—————

Ash wraps his arms around himself, standing awkwardly outside the alleyway of Chang Dai. Why did he even show up? 

_ You’re going to ruin things eventually. Might as well get it over with. _

The back door swings open, and he flinches, hopping backwards. When he moves his arms away from his face, Shorter is grinning at him.

“Text me when you get here next time!” He laughs, and waves Ash inside. 

“Sorry.” Ash murmurs, trailing behind him. He’s so nervous his hands are shaking, stuffed in his pockets. 

“You better be sorry.” Shorter retorts, and Ash stiffens, before forcing himself to relax.

_ He’s probably messing around. Don’t be a kid. _

“I have to grab my shit from upstairs real quick.” Shorter nods, and guides Ash through the back of the restaurant.

Ash really doesn’t want to be in  _ anyone’s _ room. Ever.

Except Shorter’s room is weird. Nothing like Dino’s. It’s messy, with clothes strewn all over the floor. Ash peeks at one of the walls, there are a few pictures of Nadia, one with her laughing, pushing back against the person behind the camera. 

Ash trains his eyes on a weird photo strip—one with her and Shorter sat in the booth, both staring blankly into the camera, expressionless.

“That one was a joke.” Shorter grins, tapping it. “We thought it’d be funny to just sit there.”

Ash smiles a little. That’s so stupid. And he can’t remember the last time he did something stupid.

There's a picture of Eiji on the wall too—must be newer, since he hasn’t even been in America for long. It’s really cute—he’s grinning wide at the camera, a peace sign thrown up with an ice cream cup in his hand.

_ Maybe if I do good—Shorter will invite me out again. _

“I like your pictures.” Ash mumbles, turning to face Shorter.

“If we see a photo booth, we can get you some.” Shorter winks, tapping Ash on the back. 

_ I can’t stand pictures of myself, though. _

“I can’t have that at my house.” Ash reasons, walking back towards the doorway.

”You can just keep it at mine then!”

It’s been really hard to argue lately.

———

It’s not that crowded, which is good. Ash gets overwhelmed kind of easily. The store they’re in is pretty small, so he finds himself sticking pretty close to Shorter. Ash watches him rifle thoughtfully through a rack of jackets, and crosses his arms.

“What are you getting him?”

Shorter grins.

“I have this jacket that he likes—so I’m getting it in his size so we’ll match.” He explains, pulling one off the rack. It’s bright orange—pink sleeves. Absolutely awful. 

Ash wrinkles his nose—and without thinking, points to the article of clothing in Shorter’s hands. 

“He actually  _ wants  _ that?” 

_ Fuck—me and my shitty filter. _

Surprisingly, Shorter turns to him, and lets out a laugh.

“Oh fuck you! You don’t like how I dress?!”

Ash laughs back. His laugh sounds weird. Probably because he hasn’t heard it in a while.

“No.”

“Ugh. Mean.” Shorter sighs, but he looks happy. Ash just successfully joked around with someone. 

This is going suspiciously well for him. 

———

Ash has never been to this mall before—Dino only likes the higher end stuff—thinks places like these are trashy.   


_ If Shorter and Eiji hang out here—it can’t be bad like he says. _

Ash watches Shorter pay, and it’s the weirdest thing he’s ever seen. Shorter is _really_ nice to the cashier—calls her beautiful. Tells her to have a good day.   
Dino doesn’t even _talk_ to restaurant staff. 

“Let’s head out.” Shorter grins, interuptting his thoughts by guiding Ash out by the arm. Ash let’s him; converse patting on the tile floor.

———

“If you kick it—“ Shorter grins, knocking the money slot of the machine with his shoe. “Like this—you don’t have to pay. But don’t tell anyone. I don’t want them to fix it.”

Ash slips inside the booth. It’s really tight, and there’s a curtain. 

_ Don’t even go there right now. _

“Next time we can take some with Eiji.” Shorter grins, brushing his hand.

Ash pictures the three of them crowded inside, and it’s surprisingly not a bad thought.  _ Calm down. It’s fine, see? _

“Do you wanna pick the theme?” Shorter asks, and Ash peeps up at the screen in front of him, propped below the camera. There’s options for solid colors, then some with animals, and holiday ones. 

He picks the one he wants, tapping it gently.

“Why the Halloween one?” Shorter asks.

Ash scrunches his nose, and looks at Shorter like it’s the most obvious choice in the world. “The pumpkin scares me.”

Shorter laughs, and grabs his cheek between his fingers. “Then why’d you pick it?!”

“Adrenaline rush.”

“I respect that.”

Ash scoots back against the bench, and waits for the timer to start.

“Here—c’mere—“ Shorter offers, opening his arms. Ash’s eyes widen, and he tentatively scoots over so they’re hugging. Ash has to almost sit on his lap a bit—to make room—

He’s really warm—and touches Ash really gently—and Ash feels laughter bubbling up from his own chest—

This is really fun. 

———

They slide into a booth, shoulder to shoulder, and Ash blinks when Shorter hands him a bottle of Coke.

“I don’t—I don’t have any money.”

“It was like—a dollar you weirdo.” Shorter laughs, pulling out his phone. 

“You don’t have an Instagram, right?”

“No.”

_ There are enough pictures of me out there as it is. _

Shorter puts his phone between them, so they can look at his feed together. He stops on a picture of Eiji.

“Awww! He’s so cute.” Shorter coos, liking the photo. 

Ash peeps at the screen, and flushes. Eiji is holding up a peace sign, and grinning with his head on some guy's shoulder. He looks so happy his face must hurt. The caption is in Japanese, so Ash can’t read it, but it’s full of the same emoticons Eiji uses while texting.

“That’s Ibe—the dude he’s staying with. Like his uncle—or something like that.” Shorter explains, before proceeding to the comment section, and spamming it with messages. Ash watches for a while, cringing at Eiji’s quick replies, asking him to stop. 

“Can I see—the other stuff he posts?” Ash tries, tilting his head. Shorter hands him his phone easily, and Ash scrolls through Eiji’s account. 

Shorter winks at him the second he pries his gaze from the screen. “You like?”

Ash nods.  _ Play it cool.  _ “Yeah. He’s nice.”

Shorter kicks him from under the table. 

“C’mon. You know what I’m asking!”

Ash flushes, down his neck, and Shorter gives him a mischievous look. 

_ Holding Eiji’s hand might be cool. I liked hugging him. _

Ash scratches his cheek.

“I—I don’t know. Do you think? Maybe?”

Shorter bumps Ash’s shoulder.

“Want me to ask him if he likes you?”

Ash swallows. It wouldn’t hurt to—to  _ know _ . What Eiji thinks of him. 

“Would you?” Ash mumbles. “But—without him knowing—I asked you to?”

Shorter grins, and opens up his messages.

Shorter: Eiji

Shorter: do you think ash is handsome

“That’s—that’s embarrassing!” Ash squeals, swatting his arm, but he leans closer towards the screen nonetheless. So what? Maybe he wants to know what Eiji thinks! God forbid Ash has a little curiosity!

Eiji: You already know what I think

Eiji: that he is very cute ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

Ash feels his heart stutter—like  _ actually _ feels it. He leans closer to Shorter, their faces almost touching, and it surprisingly doesn’t bother him. 

“See? Damning evidence.” Shorter nods, before typing out something else.   
  


Shorter: he’s pretty sweet too yeah?  
  


Eiji: yes!! He is so nice…. and smart….(о´∀`о) ba-dum!

Ash flushes down at the message. Eiji thinks he’s nice—Eiji thinks he’s nice—Eiji thinks he’s nice—

Shorter’s phone chimes, and Ash’s eyes dart back down to the screen. 

Eiji: let’s just say....he could teach me a few things (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

Ash feels his mind blank—whiting out. No way—that’s—

Ash subconsciously clings to Shorter’s arm. “Did he actually say that?!” This is what euphoria feels like. _This_ is pure ectasy right here.

“Bold, right?”

_ Yes yes yes yes yes yes _ yes!

Ash touches his face. He usually doesn’t like compliments—but Eiji finding him attractive might be the coolest thing he’s ever heard in his life. 

“I—“ Ash trails off, eyes wide. Eiji— _ Eiji—thinks about him?! And— _

Shorter is typing again. Shorter is a fucking genius—this is the happiest day of Ash’s life.

Shorter: ohhhh bad boy!

Shorter: so you’d take him out then?

Ash grips Shorter in anticipation, watching Eiji type, stirs a worry in his gut. But not a bad one—more like—more like excitement. Maybe he’ll say yes! 

Eiji: WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED

Eiji: YOU ARE LITERALLY WITH HIM RIGHT NOW

Eiji: SHORTER

Eiji: (_ _).｡o○

Ash whines, and slumps against Shorter’s side. So close.

“We’ve been caught.” Shorter groans, dropping his phone on the table. “Are you happy with those answers?” 

“Yeah.” Ash smiles, rubbing his nose shyly. “Thank you.”

————

“Lemme walk you home.” Shorter grins, nudging Ash out the door. 

“No way. I think my neighbors would call the cops if they saw you walking around their houses.” Ash deadpans, relishing in the laughter that follows. It’s too bad he isn’t completely joking. 

“Awww... I wanted to see your house.” Shorter whines, stretching his arms above his head.

“You wouldn’t like it. There’s nothing there.”

“I bet it’s cool!”

“It’s really not.” Ash murmurs, kicking at the ground. “It’s pretty embarrassing, honestly.”

Shorter doesn’t reply right away, just sticks to Ash’s side all quiet. 

“Me and Eiji—we won’t like— _ judge _ you. If you don’t have a lot of money. I know it’s just you and your dad—I mean, a lot of people around here struggle, you know?”

Oh.

_ He thinks you’re ashamed of your house—because you’re poor. _

Ash almost wants to laugh. Something about the sentiment is really sweet.

_ If only you knew what my life is like. _

“Thank you. I just—don’t think I’m ready. To have anyone see it yet. Even if my dad isn’t home.” Ash replies. “So I can just walk you home instead.”

Shorter smiles at him, and Ash wants nothing more than to be the person this guy thinks he is.

“Sure thing, Ash.” 

They round the sidewalk, down towards the wall of restaurants. Chang Dai being one of the smaller ones.

“Is your name short for Ashley?”

“Huh?” Ash peeps up curiously. “No, why?”

Shorter shrugs, hopping up the steps. 

“I was trying to think of names I know that start with Ash. But I was thinking it might just be ‘Ash’.”

Ash swallows. “Aslan.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“No way— _ that’s _ your name?!”

Ash puts his hands on his hips, almost annoyed. “What do you mean  _ ‘that’s your name?!’  _ Fuck you!”

Shorter swings the back door open, hanging in the doorway.

“Nothin. People just name their kids  _ anything. _ ” Shorter pauses, laughing. “Middle name?”

Ash furrows his brow. “Jade.” Continues when Shorter doesn’t reply. “Golz—Callenreese.”

Shorter grins, before turning around, and hopping into the kitchen. 

“Okay. That’s all I need to know.”

Ash flips him off, and hears Shorter laugh as the door slams shut.   
  
———  


Eiji: did you guys have fun?

Eiji: I am still angry by the way

Shorter: yeah except

Shorter: I just hung out w someone named Aslan Jade Callenreese :^(

Ash: shut up

Eiji: really?!

Ash: it’s not funny

Eiji: that is a beautiful name!!!｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

Eiji: Aslan...(о´∀`о)

Ash drops the cell to his side, and flushes.

Dino is almost home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! If you enjoyed this chapter please let me know! Anything nice means the world to me, any kindness you can give right now would be really appreciated, you know how things can be :)
> 
> <3 love forever :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter exhales, and flops down on the mattress.  
> “See—if he has as much money as you say he does—“ Shorter rubs his eyes. “I just don’t wanna make it worse.”  
> Eiji tilts his head to the side. “I don’t understand?”
> 
> “There are some people who can seriously do whatever they want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you dearly.
> 
> Triggers: scene of sexual and physical abuse. Not explicit but described. Please do not read if that upsets/triggers you. Mentions of club cod and human trafficking

“Fix your collar.”

Ash rolls his eyes, and fumbles uselessly with the collar of his shirt. “It’s fine!”

Max flicks the back of his head, making Ash whip around and glare. 

“It’s bothering me!”

“I don’t  _ care  _ if it’s bothering you!” Ash retorts, swatting his arm. Max just swats him right back—and Ash catches his hand. He  _ will _ tackle this dumbass in the middle of the lobby if he has to—

“It’s too fucking early for this!” Yue yells, kicking the fridge shut so loud the walls  _ rattle _ . Ash flinches at the noise, and subconsciously curls his fingers around Max’s arm.

“Sorry.” Max sighs, reaching down to rebutton Ash’s polo. Ash tilts his chin up to give him access. 

“Just the first two.” 

Max shakes his head, popping Ash’s collar.

“It never looks right because you never button the last one.”

“Having all three is embarrassing!”

“How?!”

“It looks like I’m trying too hard.” Ash whispers, flushing.

“Yeah.” Max mutters. “Sure. Okay.” 

“It does!” 

“And I believe you.” Max grins, patting his shoulder. “Oh—I’ve got something for you, in the back.”

Ash presses his hand against the counter as he slips through the cafe. Max kneels down towards the safe, and Ash feels a rush of giddy energy.

“It’s been two weeks.” Max starts, handing Ash an envelope. “Here’s your cash. You can count it, check that it’s all there.”

Ash holds the envelope in his hands, it’s heavy, which makes him flutter. He wants to count it—but not because he thinks there’s any missing. 

_ Max wouldn’t steal from me.  _

They’ve all fallen into a nice routine, even his relationship with Yue is pretty nice. They’re both aggressive, so they have these silent competitions, passively scrunching their noses at each other. 

“You gonna buy something?” Yut Lung grins, palm on his chin. “New shoes maybe? I think you could use 'em.”

“No, I’m saving it. Pretty smart right? I’m guessing you’ve never thought of that before?” Ash shoots back, winking sweetly.

“Course I have. I live by myself, after all. I’m  _ very  _ responsible.” 

“Yeah. Sure you are.” Ash murmurs, typing his pin into the register, and clocking out. 

“You just got here.” Yue deadpans. 

“I have to go do something. I’ll be—ten minutes.”

———

“He’s in his room, Ash.” Nadia smiles, nodding towards the upstairs area. 

“Thank you.” Ash breathes, before hopping up the landing. He’s only been inside of Shorter’s room once, but he still remembers which door it is. He knocks twice, before heading inside.

“Hey Ash!” Shorter grins, taking Ash’s hands in his own—all excited. God—Ash can’t help but squeeze their palms together.

“What’s up?!”

“Can you do me a favor?” Ash tuts, smiling gently against his will. Shorter nods fervently. 

Ash pulls out the envelope of cash from his waistband. “Hold onto this for me?”

————

The cup is cold in Ash’s hand, so he wraps a few napkins around the sides, poking the straw through the lid gently. He walks it to the back, and pulls the employee entrance open—face flushed. Eiji’s sitting on the concrete steps, reading something on his phone. 

“I—I had to remake a drink. Want the extra one?” Ash feels tentative, nervousness coiling in his gut. 

“Oh? Did someone come inside? I did not see any cars pull up.” Eiji tilts his head apologetically, taking the cup from Ash’s hands. “Mmm. Thank you.”

“Uh—yeah. They were walking.” Ash mumbles, rubbing his hands together. “Can I sit?”

Eiji smiles brightly up at him, and scoots over on the steps. Of course he would—Eiji is painfully nice. So nice it makes Ash’s heart race. 

“It’s just how I like it too!” Eiji grins, swinging his legs. “How lucky!” 

A few cars pass by, but other than that it’s quiet. Eiji turns his phone off, and looks at Ash.

“Can you take me to the movie theater?”

Ash blinks, taken aback. Eiji just takes a sip from his drink, looking him in the eye like it’s the most casual thing in the world.

“Um—when?”

“Maybe next week? When your dad is gone?”

“Why?”

Eiji gives him a confused look. 

“Cause I wanna watch a movie?”

“Y-yeah but, why are you asking me?”

“Oh!” Eiji laughs, rubbing his nose. He looks at Ash, smiling softly into the sun. 

“The one I wanna see is scary, and you’re pretty tough.”

Ash flushes, and clenches his fists at his sides. 

“Of course I’ll take you!”

———

“Have a good day, Ash.” Eiji smiles, wiggling his fingers. “Oh! Wait—“

“What is it?”

“You forgot to take your uniform off.” He notes, undoing the buttons of the polo. Ash watches the action numbly, shocked at the tenderness. “I will take it home and wash it for you. You keep your regular shirt underneath, right?”

Ash nods, pulling it up and over his head. Eiji tucks it under his arm.

“I’ll see you later, Ash.” He hums, turning on his heel. “Have a good night.” 

“Yeah—“ Ash breathes. “You too.”

  
————

“Hey.” Ash calls, hearing the door fly open. Dino is in a shitty mood—because he doesn’t say anything when he comes inside. Just slams the door so hard it rattles. Ash wants to run and hide so badly he has to restrain himself. He doesn’t say anything when he’s dragged upstairs by his shirt. Wordless, wordless, wordless. Just anger. 

At least when Dino talks to him—Ash feels somewhat like a living, breathing thing. 

“Somethings wrong with you.” Dino scolds into his ear. “I’m gonna take you back to the club.”

Some of the worst days of his life were spent at that shithole. He clamps a hand over his mouth—fighting the urge to turn and throw up. He doesn’t feel well—chest burning up in pain. This is going on for too long—it feels like it’s been at  _ least _ an hour. Dino takes him by the back of his neck, and guides him out of the room, Ash’s legs slowly giving out from the pain. He glances at the clock on the wall, and it’s already eleven—make it  _ two _ hours.

Dino interrupts his train of thought with a swing of his fist, knocking him in the back of the head. Ash leans forward, gently touching the nape of his own neck, when Dino grabs him by the shoulder, and shoves him down the stairs. He feels knocked around—confused, each step jutting into his body as he tries to brace himself. 

Ash blanks out for a second when he hits the wall against the landing, and tenses up when he feels Dino creaking down the steps.  _ Please please please please please please please _ —

Pure relief washes over his body when Dino walks past him, and rounds the second flight of stairs. 

“I’m going out. Get your shit together or you’ll be coming with me next time.” Dino calls down the hall. Ash feels his heart sink in his chest. He can’t go back. He just can’t. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

The door shuts, and Ash exhales.

———

Ash: hi

_ What am I doing? _

Ash: are you guys awake

Ash curls in on himself, knees against his chest.  _ They don’t even like you.  _

Shorter: yea why?:)

Ash’s eyes burn, and he presses the screen to his forehead. He can’t even reply to that. What’s he supposed to say?  _ Because I’m scared. Because I’m lonely. Because I’m really really hurt. _

Ash: I’m so sorry.

Shorter: oh no:(

Shorter: bad night?

Eiji: I just woke up! What is wrong ash?=ε┌(;￣◇￣)┘

Ash drops his phone to his side. 

_ Eiji’s awake because of you. You know that he’s tired.  _

It keeps buzzing against Ash’s waist. 

Shorter: what happened?

Eiji: Ash, do you want to call?

Shorter: ^^^^

Shorter: Ashhhhh

Ash sobs, loud and guttural. Why can’t he just—just talk?! Why is this so scary?!

Ash: I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do

Ash: I’m just really overwhelmed and not thinking right and I didn’t want to be alone

Shorter: what happened:(

Ash: I don’t wanna get into it but it’s just so bad 

Eiji: I’m so sorry

Eiji: I’m glad you came on here to talk

Ash feels his heart start pounding—they’re  _ comforting  _ him. It makes him want to say more.

Ash: my dad hit me

Shorter: he put his hands on you???

_ If only you knew.  _

Eiji: where? 

Ash: my head. But he left

Shorter: let one of us come get you

Eiji: Ibe is in bed so I can take the car

Shorter: ^^^

Shorter: ash send your location 

Shorter: send it

Shorter: ash

Eiji: ash

Eiji: ash

Shorter: ash

Eiji: ash

Ash: I just shared it 

———

Ash pulls on a pair of jeans, wincing, and lowers himself down onto the wet grass outside. It’s chilly—but he can’t feel much right now. Sometimes he gets so upset he can’t feel anything. 

There’s a car parked against the curb in the front of his house, headlights flashing once, twice.  


It makes him want to cry. Eiji actually showed up. He creeps through the garden over to the front, and takes the handle of the passenger seat into his hand.

Deep breath.

Ash opens the door. 

“Hey.” Eiji nods, one arm draped around the steering wheel languidly. “What happened?”

Ash gets inside, and shuts the door. 

“Can you just get me out of here?”

“You  _ have  _ to tell me what happened.” Eiji murmurs, reaching forward to cradle Ash’s face. He cups the corner of his jaw, manhandling his chin to tilt side to side. Eiji slowly moves his hand to the back of his head—like he’s feeling around.

Ash flinches as he brushes a tender spot.

“Right there?”

“Yeah.”

Eiji rubs his thumb soothingly over the spot. 

“You don’t have to come back, you know.” He breathes, scratching gently at the nape of Ash’s neck. “Just stay with me. As long as you need.”

Ash softens, leaning into the touch.

“You’re always so nice.” 

Eiji pulls away, shaking his head. “ _ Everyone  _ should be this nice to you. I do not take that as a compliment.”

Ash watches as he shifts the stick, turning the wheel to move out into the street. He feels shaky, eyes welling up with tears.

“S-sorry.” Ash hiccups, curling into Eiji’s passenger seat. Eiji just yawns. “No problem. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe later.”

Eiji is in his pajamas, a button up sleep shirt and pink shorts. His hair is mussed, and he’s wearing fluffy socks instead of shoes. He’s squinting in the dark all sleepy. 

“How hard did he hit you? I can take you to the hospital since it was your head.”

_ I would rather die than step foot in a hospital _

“I’m okay, don’t worry.”

“Head injuries are no joke!”

“I’m fine.”

Eiji shoots him a worried look, and shakes his head. 

“Can you text Shorter that you are with me?”

Ash nods, wiping under his eyes again. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“We are overdue for a sleepover anyways.” Eiji smiles, pulling forward. “You have a fancy house. Are you rich?”

Ash doesn’t reply, just sits with his hands in his lap.

“That was offensive.” Eiji peeps, scrunching his nose. 

“You’re fine.”

“Okay.” Eiji laughs, a little awkwardly. “Do you want an ice cream or something? We can stop somewhere.”

“No thank you.”

Ash watches Eiji drive in silence, he keeps peeping down to the navigation on his phone between his thighs. Ash has only seen Eiji in their work uniform and jeans— _ his legs are pretty toned—like an athlete…. _

Ash shakes his head. 

_ Damn, you really are a Golzine. Don’t be fucking gross. _

Ash clears his throat. 

“I have to be home before ten tomorrow. If that’s okay.”

“Okay. You can trust me with that.” Eiji nods, brow furrowed and cheeks puffed out with determination.  _ Cute. _ “I’ll take care of you.”

The drive is kind of awkward, and it’s definitely Ash’s fault. “Do you have music?” Ash mumbles, looking over at Eiji from the driver's seat. Eiji grips the steering wheel and flushes. “N-not in English. And it’s girl music anyway.”

_ Okay, sensitive subject I guess. _

“That’s fine.” Ash shrugs, turning to rest his head against the window. Eiji pulls into a parking spot, in front of a tiny apartment complex. 

Eiji parks the car, and flings himself backwards towards the back seat, sleepily pulling a pair of shoes out from beneath the driver's seat. 

“Want to eat or something? When we go inside?” Eiji smiles, scooting to face Ash, and pulling his shoes on. One of his legs naturally lands in Ash’s lap. “Um—we could just go to bed. I know you’re tired.”

Eiji smiles, and stretches, before pulling the door open. “Let us get out of the cold, first.”

———

Eiji sighs when he walks into the apartment, arms above his head. “Ibe is sleeping. Let us keep the lights off in the main room.” He whispers, guiding Ash towards the hallway. He presses a palm against the wall as he scoots down towards his bedroom, and flicks the light on, closing the door. 

The door is closed, and Ash isn’t afraid.

“Here.” Eiji starts, pulling his dresser drawers open. “You can borrow pants.” 

Ash shakes his head, looking down at his jeans. “That’s okay.”

Eiji looks him up and down, brow furrowed at his pants, before a look of understanding falls over his face. 

“Ah! You sleep in your panties, then!” 

“No!” Ash flushes, crossing his arms. “In these.”

“What? Why?” 

“I won’t have to borrow anything that way.”

“Yeah but. That’s weird.”

Ash groans, reaching up to rub his temples. “It literally doesn’t even affect you.”

“But it does.” Eiji reasons, completely serious. “It is throwing me off. It will be on my mind, and then I will have a dream about it.”

Ash just stares at him. 

“Maybe even a nightmare.”

There’s a beat of silence. Eiji pulls his drawer back open, and unfolds a pair of blue running shorts. 

“Here—for you.”

Ash takes them into his hands.  _ They’re a little short. _

“Do you have any pants?”

Eiji grins—because he’s  _ won,  _ and hands Ash a pair of sweatpants instead. Pink with a little bird on the side.

“There.” He sighs, turning to flop down on his bed. 

Ash stands in the middle of the room—a little lost. Eiji is giggling at something on his phone, and catches Ash’s gaze from the corner of his eye.

“Right. You are shy. I will turn—see?” Eiji rolls onto his belly, and promptly starts swinging his legs up and down like a kid. 

Ash changes—and fumbles with the drawstring a bit. 

“I think they’re too big.”

Eiji stands up, so they’re nose to nose, and looks Ash up and down. “You are taller—but my hips are so wide!” He laughs, yanking the drawstring roughly, and tying it in a bow. “I am like—a square.”

Ash doesn’t know what to say, because it’s kind of true. “T-theres nothing wrong with that.”

Eiji smiles at him, softly. “Of course there isn’t.”

He watches as his friend promptly crawls under the covers, black hair ruffled sweetly against the sheets. “Shut off the light—if you want.” He breathes, leaving room for Ash on the mattress. Ash flicks the switch, and moves to Eiji’s side, lifting the blanket and scooting in next to him. There’s not much room.

Ash picks up one of the stuffed animals, and brings it to the edge of the bed. Eiji immediately flings his head up, as if he sensed the movement.

“Don’t put Nori on the floor!”

“There’s barely any room?”

“If you cuddle him—there is  _ more _ room.”

“I’m not doing that.”

Eiji tilts his head “Because you’re strangers?”

“No. Because I’m seventeen.”

Eiji glares at him very pointedly. “That makes me so mad—I could swear.”

“Then do it.”

Eiji huffs out a breath, and looks around nervously. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Ash rolls his eyes, but holds the stuffed bird against his chest. He tries not to think about everything that happened tonight—tries to squeeze his eyes shut and forget—forget what Dino did—forget that his friends saw him all upset—that Eiji knew he cried today. 

Why is it so hard to sleep? Eiji is breathing all slow and steady now. _He’s_ probably asleep. 

He feels tears well up in his eyes, and rolls on his side to face Eiji. 

Eiji is breathing really rhythmically next to him, and scooted over, so his face is  _ right there.  _ His eyelashes are really dark, and there’s soft freckles, barely noticeable underneath them. A small patch of red discoloration on the tip of his nose, probably because of his little scrunching tic. Eiji’s hand is drawn upwards, holding the blanket to his face. His nails are blunt and worn.  _ Does he bite them? Maybe when he’s nervous? _

Ash brushes his hand on the back of Eiji’s knuckles.

_ If he bites his nails—I’ll catch him doing it and remind him not to. And I’ll say it’s because he could make them bleed. And that could be my job—helping him with the habit so he can be safe from everything. Even little kid stuff. If he does it in front of people—I’ll hold his hand—and smile at him—and laugh a little—and rub his knuckles with my thumb— _

Eiji stirs a bit—mumbling something in Japanese, and snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

_ Sorry, Eiji. _ Ash thinks, furrowing his brow.  _ I’m sorry for thinking about such weird stuff.  _

The arm that Eiji has tucked between himself and Ash moves, so it’s resting against his side again. Eiji’s chest is wide open—and Ash wonders if his heartbeat sounds like a song. He scoots forward a bit, and angles himself down, so the top of his head is buried under Eiji’s chin. His own heart is pounding so loud he can hear it in his ears. He tucks himself so that the rest of his body is curled in tightly against his friend. It’s warm, and oh god—

Ash hasn’t felt this safe in  _ years. _

He feels hot tears squeeze out of his eyes, and sniffles. A few sobs burst past his lips, pitiful and desperate.  _ I just want someone to touch me. Please— _

“Ash?” 

_ Fuck. _

Eiji’s voice sounds rough, laced with sleep and a gentle tone.

“Sorry, Eiji.” Ash croaks.  _ Sorry—god there is something so so so wrong with me I’m so sorry— _

Ash feels an arm poking at his belly, snaking around from underneath him. “Lift up a bit.”

Ash lifts at his waist a little, confused, and feels Eiji curl an arm underneath him. 

“You can lay down now.” Eiji murmurs, and when Ash lets himself drop back onto the mattress, Eiji pulls him closer, both arms wrapped around him. He feels a hand at the back of his head, tangling in his hair, and pressing his face back into Eiji’s neck. Eiji rests his head on top of Ash’s once again, and exhales. 

Ash’s heart is soaring—all the heat from his body pressed up against Eiji’s neck—face so hot he thinks he might burn the poor boy from where they’re touching. The hand in his hair is doing him in pretty badly—gentle strokes against his scalp—even scratching him like a cat. Ash hooks a leg over Eiji and pulls himself impossibly closer, squeezing tight. 

“Eiji—“ Ash gasps, burrowing himself deeper and deeper into his friend. “I—I’m sorry—“

“Let it out.” Eiji whispers, breathless and laughing at the way Ash is white knuckling his body. Ash doesn’t reply—just holds him stiff and tight. 

“You are squeezing me.” Eiji grunts, and Ash forces himself to loosen up. 

“Sorry—I just—wanna be closer.” 

“Is this not enough?” Eiji teases, and Ash hooks his bottom leg between both of Eiji’s, fighting to make them completely flush. Every inch of skin has to match up with a patch of Eiji’s flesh or Ash might actually die. He wants Eiji to be the only person to touch him for the rest of his life—and he never wants Eiji to stop. He tangles a hand in the back of Eiji’s shirt so that he won’t accidentally slip away from Eiji once they both fall asleep. 

_ I want to crawl inside his shirt and glue myself to his chest.  _

Ash wrinkles his nose. He must be pretty tired because that was fucking weird.

———

Eiji squishes his cheek against his palm, looking down at the pile of cash—wide eyed.

“He just left three hundred fucking dollars at my house.” Shorter huffs, shaking his head. 

“Yeah.” Eiji squints. “That  _ is  _ weird.”

Eiji thinks back to earlier, waking up to Ash  _ still _ squeezing the life out of him, even in his sleep. 

“He didn’t tell me anything last night.” Eiji murmurs. “Just cried.”

“Oh.” Shorter sighs, crossing his arms. “Must’ve been rough. He’s so…  _ private,  _ you know?”

“Oh— _ yeah!”  _ Eiji gasps, slamming his hands down on Shorter’s desk. “He has like—the  _ biggest  _ house I have ever seen!”

Shorter blinks, and furrows his brow. “Huh?”

“It had a fountain. I have never seen a place like that before.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! It is the truth.”

“That’s—fucking weird.”

Shorter exhales, and flops down on the mattress.

“See—if he has as much money as you say he does—“ Shorter rubs his eyes. “I just don’t wanna make it worse.”

Eiji tilts his head to the side. “I don’t understand?”

“There are some people who can seriously do whatever they want.”

“How?”

“The law around here is really complicated.” Shorter sighs. “Theres uh—a lot of bad stuff that people don’t really talk about. S’common in any big city. We get a lotta missing kids, drugs, you know. Bad stuff.”

“Missing people?” Eiji repeats, face falling. “B-but, they find them, right?”

Shorter makes a face that Eiji can’t really recognize, before smiling down at him.

“Yeah.” He nods. “Almost always.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nadia slumps her shoulder against the seat, legs curled up against her chest.
> 
> “I’m all for doing a wellness check—“ she mutters, before pointing a finger between Max’s eyes. 
> 
> “But I don’t think waltzing through a nice ass neighborhood when you’re a convicted felon is a good idea.”
> 
> “Nadia—“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: sexual harassment, Dino interactions with Ash and Eiji. Human trafficking mentions.

Ash: hi shorter 

Ash: what I said in the chat last night was out of line and I’m so sorry. If you don’t want to talk to me anymore I understand. 

Shorter: gonna pretend I didn’t see this

Shorter: I wanna be there for you

Shorter: you’re a good friend :)

  
Ash trembles, blinking down at the screen.

Ash: I am?

Ash half expects Shorter to take it back, say he was joking, that Ash is ruining his life and being nothing but a burden on him. 

Shorter: s + a = <3

Shorter: this is a proven fact

——————

“Give me your shirt, Ash!” Eiji giggles, pulling the polo playfully over Ash’s head. Ash works out a laugh, let’s Eiji take it off of him. 

“Thanks, Eiji.”

Eiji nods, tapping Ash lightly on the tip of his nose. 

“How was your day?”

_ Not too painful.  _ “Good. Yours?”

Eiji wrinkles his nose like a rabbit, and crosses his arms. 

“I slept with my window open.” 

“And?”

“And it made me cold all day. So you have to remind me to close it tonight.”

“You got it, boss.” Ash waves, leaving through the parking lot. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, yeah?”

“Yes!”

Ash hops down the sidewalk, pavement dark beneath his sneakers. His backyard is flourishing if anything, a nice garden, a big tree overhanging the whole plot of land, covering the second story window. He pulls himself back inside the house—and feels his gut drop at the sound of the alarm shutting off. 

_ I’m home early today.  _

Ash bolts out of the bathroom, and curls up on the couch just as Dino comes in through the front door.

_ If I had been—a minute late—he would’ve— _

“How was your day, Ash?” Dino smiles, kissing the top of his head. “I have some good news for you today.”

“Y-yeah?” Ash murmurs, barely regaining his composure. His heart is still pounding in his chest—that was close.

Too close.

“Would you like to hear it?” Dino coos, brushing his hair out of his face. Ash nods in anticipation. He hates anything unpredictable.

“I’ve got some time off from work. Just me and you all weekend, sweetheart.”

——————

“That makes two!” Max announces, before getting up to lock the doors to the cafe.

“From what Shorter’s told me—sounds like he has a lot going on with his family.” Nadia breathes, eyes fixed on the clock. “He misses work three days in a row—won’t answer his phone—is already acting fucking suspicious—“

Max slides into the booth across from her. 

“My thoughts exactly.”

They fall silent, minus the sound of Eiji banging around in the kitchen, trying to close the place for the night.

“Eiji—and your brother.” Max starts. “They have his address.”

Nadia slumps her shoulder against the seat, legs curled up against her chest.

“I’m all for doing a wellness check—“ she mutters, before pointing a finger between Max’s eyes. 

“But I don’t think waltzing through a nice ass neighborhood when you’re a convicted felon is a good idea.”

_ “Nadia—“ _

“Fuck Max,  _ Eiji  _ said he got weird looks pulling up to Ash’s house. And that was after dark. And he  _ stayed  _ in his car.” 

She continues when Max doesn’t reply.

“They see your shitty minivan and they’re calling the cops.”

Eiji’s shoes squeak against the tile from the back, so Nadia lowers her voice, despite being out of earshot.

“Eiji would be our best bet. He looks like he could be in highschool. Say he got lost—first time driving around.”

Max nods, and clears his throat. 

“If something—if something  _ bad _ happened _.”  _ He starts, pressing his palms on the table to stand up. “I wouldn’t wanna send Eiji over there all by himself.”

“Yeah.” Nadia breathes. “Yeah. Me either.”

————

Ash curls up from underneath the covers, Dino pressed up next to him.

As of this morning, Dino has not left the house in three fucking days.

_ I’ve definitely lost my job. _

He feels the mattress shift beside him, and feels an arm curl around his chest. 

“You’re crying so much this weekend.” Dino coos, voice rough and tired in his ear. “It’s sweet.”

Ash touches his cheek with his fingertips, not even noticing the soft wetness coating his face. 

_ Yeah, because I just missed two fucking shifts—and can’t check my fucking messages— _

The anxiety might actually kill him before Dino does.

“Here, Aslan.” Dino mutters, stroking his arm. “Let’s go downstairs, yeah?”

Ash pulls himself to stand, limp more obvious than ever, and yanks on a pair of sweatpants from the ground. Maybe he can get a few moments alone while Dino gets dressed—

He rounds the landing, hopping down the stairs, when the doorbell rings, reverberating across the house.

“Stay up here, Aslan.” Dino snaps, making his way down the steps. He has his suit on now, and nudges Ash back upstairs. “Go put on a shirt. Could be Marvin.”

Ash rolls his eyes. Was that supposed to be a joke?  _ Glad to see you’re looking out for me.  _

Ash tugs on a long sleeve, and makes his way downstairs to shuffle down the hall behind Dino. They don’t get visitors often, but it’s not unheard of. 

Dino has a lot of friends, after all.

Ash stands back a bit, hidden behind the wall. He can’t go to answer the door unless Dino allows him to.

_ If it’s actually Marvin—I’m going to lose my fucking mind.  _

He cranes his neck a bit, trying to listen in on what’s going on the second he hears the door open up. 

“Hello.”  _ A woman? Or rather— _

_ No—no fucking way. _

Ash can’t help himself—he’s probably dreaming anyways, and peeks around the corner, just enough to see what’s going on. 

Nadia is leaning gently against the doorway, reaching up to play with one of her pearls.

Dino tilts his head, looking down at her curiously. Ash’s eyes widen in shock. They’re going to get him  _ killed!— _

_ You don’t know me you don’t know me you don’t know me— _

“Hello, miss.” Dino finally replies, curious or suspicious, Ash can’t tell. “Can I help you?”

She smiles, sweetly. Ash notices Ibe’s car parked a little ways down the street, propped gently against the curb.

“My husband needs help changing a tire, can you lend a hand?”

Dino smiles back.  _ Don’t look at her like that—don’t look at her like that— _

“I’m gonna have to say no—“ He starts, before cutting himself off. 

Eiji opens the passenger's side door, and practically bounces up the sidewalk. He wiggles his fingers at Nadia, and follows quickly behind her. 

Dino is  _ silent. _

“Is that your husband?”

“Yeah.” 

“Give me a moment.” Dino murmurs, before turning around, and calling out into the house. “Aslan. Come say hello.”

Ash can feel his heart sink. He’s all marked up—hair mussed and his face a blotchy red from crying. 

_ I don’t want him to see me like this. _

“So sorry to bother you!” Eiji huffs, kneeling down breathlessly. “We are not from here—we did not know who to call for help.”

Dino leans against the doorway, eyes zoned in on Eiji’s little butterfly rash. It’s extra apparent from the walk up the driveway.

“And how old are you two?”

Eiji grins, wiping his forehead. 

“I am nineteen. She is twenty three.”

Dino nods, quiet for a moment. Eiji makes eye contact with Ash, a little unreadable. 

_ What are they doing here?! _

“I’d put you at fifteen.” 

_ Don’t.  _ Ash thinks to himself.  _ Don’t talk to him like that.  _

Eiji laughs, rubbing his nose like always, and Ash draws his arms around his shoulders further. “I know. My family looks young.”

“And nineteen is pretty young to be married.” Dino jokes, but it’s not lighthearted. “Where are you from?”

“I am from Japan.” Eiji replies. “It’s both of our first times in America.”

Nadia is quiet, holding her wrist behind her back. She keeps looking Ash up and down, gaze zoning in on any inch of exposed skin. 

Dino makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Is that right? How long are you staying?”

“Just a month. It is our—what is the English word? Honeymoon? Yes?”

“Hmmm. You would be right.” Dino pauses. “And you said neither of you know anyone from around here?” 

“We don’t.”

“Aslan—“ Dino smiles, turning towards the blonde. “We should help them, don’t you think?”

————

Ash sticks to Dino’s side like no other on their walk down the street. Eiji and Nadia a few paces ahead of them. Hand in hand—but Nadia is white knuckling him a little. 

“Your parents never taught you how to change one?” Dino asks, walking up to the car. 

“No—“ Eiji giggles, rubbing the back of his head. “So embarrassing, yes?”

“It’s okay. You’re still a kid.” Dino replies, ruffling Eiji’s hair. His hand lingers for a moment, before patting his back. Soft and between the shoulder blades.

_ I might actually throw up. _

Eiji opens the back of the car, and pulls the carjack out from the trunk. “I put it underneath, right?” He peeps, shirt ruffling in the breeze. Dino steps behind him, grinning. 

“Here—lean down, that's it. Atta boy—“

Eiji is bent over a bit—and Dino is very obviously staring—and—he puts a hand on his waist—

_ This is my fault this is my fault this is my fault— _

Ash’s gaze flicks over to Nadia in a panic, and she immediately nudges Eiji’s leg with her ankle, urging him to move to the side. 

“Here—“ She interrupts, gripping Eiji’s arm. “Let me do it.”

A look of confusion washes over the Japanese boy’s face. “Oh-okay.”

She shoves the jack under the car herself, looking up at Dino.“What else do I do?”

Dino looks beyond irritated, fidgeting with his hands in his pockets, a dry look behind his eyes.

“Your  _ boy  _ was doing a fine job.”

Nadia stands, and eases Eiji over to the front of the car.

“He recently had a sports related injury.” She explains, guiding Eiji’s shoulder with her palm. “I do not want him to exert himself.” 

“He’s an athlete?” Dino grins, and Nadia nods curtly.

“Go sit in the car for a while.” She mutters, voice clipped. 

Eiji looks unsure, but nods, obedient. “O-okay.”

Dino sighs, pressing his palms to his eyelids. 

“Poor baby.” 

Nadia doesn’t respond. Just kneels down to take Eiji’s place. 

“What do I do now?”

————

“I didn’t catch your names?” Dino murmurs, nodding to Nadia as she stands, wiping her hands on her jeans.

“Nadia.” 

“And the boy?”

Nadia pauses for a moment. 

“Shorter.”

“That doesn’t sound Japanese.”

“He’s mixed.” She mumbles, moving over towards the driver's seat. “Thank you so much for your help. Have a good evening.”

“Wait a moment—“ Dino starts, touching her shoulder. He leans forward a bit, so that they’re face to face. 

“I’m so sorry if I offended you.”

If she’s nervous, she doesn’t show it.

“You are alright.” 

Dino pauses, and claps his hands together. 

“Are you and your husband free tonight? I own a very high end restaurant in the city. I would love to treat you both.”

Nadia tilts her head. “Really?”

“You like seafood?” Dino softens, reaching into his suit, and handing her a slip of paper. Nadia turns the business card over in her hands, studying both sides. 

Ash shakes his head from behind Dino— _ don’t go—don’t, I’ll do anything— _

“Come back here tonight at nine, and I’ll drive you both.” Dino explains. “My name is already on there—Dino Golzine. You stopped at the right house. It’s the most exclusive club in New York. Most have never been.”

Nadia smiles, and scratches the back of her head. 

“That is very kind. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome.”

————

_ I made her mad, didn’t I? _

“Are we going to dinner?” Eiji smiles, tilting his head gently. Nadia white knuckles the wheel. 

“No. We are  _ not  _ going to fucking dinner, Eiji.”

Eiji squeezes his hands together, almost bashfully. “D-did I make you mad?” He mumbles, glancing between her and the business card on the dashboard.

She shuts her eyes for a moment. 

“God. Fucking—no. You didn’t make me mad.”

“Then—what is the matter?”

They’re passing by a park, a little bit away from Ash’s neighborhood. Nadia pulls over, and stops the car against the curb. It’s a really nice place—Eiji watches as a few dogs run around each other, playing. 

“Nope. Look at me.” Nadia taps his shoulder, averting his attention. 

_ “You,  _ Eiji Okumura, are  _ never  _ stepping foot near that man again, do you understand me?”

Eiji furrows his brow. “Why?”

“Because it’s not safe.” She sighs.

Eiji presses his cheek against the headrest. 

“But what if Ash—“

“ _ Eiji—“ _ She interrupts, roughly grabbing his cheeks in her hand, squeezing them scoldingly. “Under no circumstances are you going to drive by his house—are you going to drive by his restaurant, and you are  _ never—“ _

“I hear you! Stop being like this!” Eiji whines, face scrunched. “I just wanted to—see Ash. And you are not being sensitive to me. When I did not even get to talk to him.”

Nadia leans back, letting go of Eiji’s face. 

“You’re right.” She murmurs, shaking her head. “That wasn’t nice of me. I just worry.”

Eiji bites his lip, hands in his lap.

“I know. It is okay. I am sorry.” 

Eiji looks up at her, gently opening his arms. Nadia is warm, and she holds him so tight it hurts. 

——————

“I fucking hate women like that.” Dino groans, slamming the door shut. “No use for her. But her boy is perfect. And he’s from overseas too.”

_ That means that nobody’s going to be looking for him if he turns up missing.  _

Ash already knows. He already knows the drill by now.

Dino ruffles his hair. “A little old—but has a baby face. Like you.” He pauses. “Though I’ll be done with you by sometime next year. You’re so sick all the time.”

_ I fucking wonder why.  _ Ash thinks to himself.  _ You starve and beat someone enough years in a row and they’ll start fucking dying. _

On the bright side—Eiji and Nadia never show up. Safe and away from Club Cod—as they should be.

—————

Nadia watches as Sing stiffens from his spot on the couch. Eiji is knocked out cold on his shoulder, cheek squished on his sleeve and nose brushing his neck. Her poor cousin. Her poor, hopeless romantic little Sing. 

“Club Cod, huh?” Max sighs, turning the card over in his hand. “Think I should show up?”

“No!” Nadia retorts, slamming her hands on the table. Eiji jolts a bit from the living room, making her reply in a harsh whisper. 

“If I see your stupid ass for sale on the black market—I am  _ not  _ buying you back.”

“Calm down, kiddo.” Max mumbles, ruffling her hair. “I’m like—eighty percent sure this is actually just a restaurant.”

“What else could it be?”

Max pauses, rubbing his temples. “Something really fucking weird.”

“Like?”

“I’ll see what I can figure out.” He nods, scooting out his chair. “But  _ you  _ need to go to bed, and  _ I  _ need to get home before Jess kills me.”

“Okay.” Nadia breathes. “Right.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey—um—“ Shorter murmurs, lifting it higher to expose Ash’s shoulder blades. “How did you get these again?”
> 
> “He hit me.”
> 
> Shorter shudders, and Ash can feel his fingers tracing one of the marks. 
> 
> “Uh—Ash, these are from—um—fingernails.”
> 
> Or rather—certain things come to light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM REPKYING TO ALL THE COMMENTS ON CHAPTER 7 AND THIS CHAOTER TONIGHT IM SORRH I WANTED TO POST THIS BEFORE I WENT TO WORK AND I HAVE NINE MINUTES OKAY I LOVE YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK MUAH MUAH MUAH 
> 
> Triggers: discussions of sexual assault, sexual assault wounds, fear and anxiety surrounding sexual abuse

“I know you don’t talk to your family anymore, but this place is apparently super fucking exclusive. ” Max murmurs, eyeing Yue. “Did you or your brothers—your parents ever go?”

The Club Cod business card lays untouched on the countertop, Yut Lung staring down at it in shock.

“Where did you get this?”

———

Ash holds the phone to his cheek—this is probably the earliest he’s ever shown up here. 

_ I’m sorry—I’m probably going to wake you. _

It rings once, before Shorter picks up.

“Ash?! Ash!”

“Hi.”

Shorter sounds breathless.“Are you okay!? What happened!?”

Ash swallows, biting his lip.

“I’m outside.”

There's a pause on the other end of the line, before Ash hears frantic shuffling, banging footsteps.

“Don’t fall down the fucking stairs.” Ash sighs, before hanging up. He stands in front of the door nervously, chill from the outside seeping through his skin.

The doorknob wiggles as Shorter presumably unlocks it, and—

_ I don’t know if I can do this. _

“Come in—oh—have you eaten? What happened?” He’s squinting in the early morning light, and eagerly dragging Ash inside. 

Ash just shakes his head as the door shuts behind him—where does he start? 

“Can—can I sit? And—and maybe have water? If that’s okay— I’m  _ so _ sorry—I know I shouldn’t be asking for anything—especially after like—disappearing on you—but I didn’t know who else—“

“Hey, Ash?” Shorter interrupts.

Ash blinks, cutting himself off. “Yeah?”

Shorter just grins, and opens his arms. “I really missed you.”

Ash feels his face crumple, as he drops himself gently into the embrace. “Did you listen to a  _ single _ thing I just said?”

“No. You talk too much.”

Ash exhales—for the first time in what feels like days.

“That’s funny. Coming from  _ you.” _

Shorter laughs, before leaning back, looking down at Ash in his arms. 

“Let’s go upstairs, yeah?”

—————

“Here—dry off a little bit more—“ Shorter murmurs, gently nudging Ash back inside his bathroom. “Nadia freaks out if the carpet gets wet.”

Ash pulls the towel tighter around his shoulders to cover himself, and leans against the countertop.

“Sorry—“ he winces, not even realizing how much he was dripping. 

_ Get it together—fuck— _

“S’okay.” Shorter murmurs, dropping a pile of clothes by the sink. “Don’t worry about it.” He pauses, eyeing a red patch on the white towel. 

“Are you bleeding?”

Ash winces,  _ again,  _ apologetically. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay you for it.”

Shorter waves his hand. “I don’t care about that. Just wanna know how many bandaids we need.”

Ash nods. “Just—my arms. Little scratches and stuff.”

_ I scrubbed really hard in there, didn’t I? _

“I’ll be right back.”

Ash shuts the door once he leaves—Shorter said he was allowed to lock it, which is nice. The clothes are Nadia’s—but still a little baggy on him. Just a women’s hoodie and sweatpants. A pair of socks with cats on them. Cool.

He unlocks the door and swings it open, leaning against the doorway before half-limping to the middle of the room. 

“Don’t be mad.” Shorter starts, peeking up at Ash as he leaves the bathroom. “But Nadia said your dad was a creep so I've been  _ needing  _ to ask.” There’s a pause. “Does he—you know—”

Ash stops in the middle of the room to cross his arms. “Does he what?”

“Touch you.”

“No.” 

Ash doesn’t like how Shorter visibly relaxes at that.  _ Of course he believes you. He trusts you. Liar. _

“Good. Sit on the bed.” Shorter hums, rifling through a little cardboard box of bandaids. Ash immediately tenses up. 

“I can do it myself.”

“You’re exhausted. Let me help you.”

Ash sits criss cross in the middle of the mattress, hands fisted in his lap. He feels the bed shift as his friend scoots in behind him, adjusting before gently touching Ash’s shoulder. 

“Wanna take the top off?”

Ash bites his lip. 

“Can—can you just—like—work  _ around it?” _

“Course. Cool if I lift it up?”

Ash nods stiffly, and feels Shorter lift the hem of his hoodie, cool air hitting his skin, still raw from the hot water. There’s a beat of silence, where Ash knows Shorter is just looking. Transfixed.

“Hey—um—“ Shorter murmurs, lifting it higher to expose Ash’s shoulder blades. “How did you get these again?”

“He hit me.”

Shorter shudders, and Ash can feel his fingers tracing one of the marks. 

“Uh—Ash, these are from—um—fingernails.”

_ Shit. _

Ash doesn’t look in the mirror much—didn’t even consider that his injuries— _ especially  _ the ones on his upper body—might give him away.

“He scratches when he hits.”

Shorter sounds a little airy—and Ash doesn’t like how closely he’s looking at his wounds. 

“The—the direction—they’re—and only on your shoulders—“

“So?”

“Where—where’d you get these?”

“I don’t remember.”

“I thought you said he hit you.”

“I don’t remember.”

There's a lengthy pause, before Shorter drops the jacket back down, letting it cover Ash again. 

“He bites you too?”

Ash feels a wave of visceral horror wash over his body, stiff with shock. 

“Shorter—stop it.”

“S’okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.” 

He feels Shorter press his forehead to his back, wrapping his arms around Ash’s sides. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” 

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have—I—I—“

“Please don’t apologize. Just—I know. I know.”

Ash feels hot tears slipping down his face—and the feeling must be mutual, because there’s a growing patch of wetness between his shoulders, where Shorter’s squeezing him. 

“He’s all—gross to you, yeah?”

“He is. He is—oh my god, he is.” Ash gasps, clutching Shorter’s hand against his chest. He laces their fingers together, so tightly it’s painful.

“What’s he doing to you?”

Ash inhales sharply, before letting out a sob. 

“As long as ive lived with him—fuck—every day—always—you know—“

“Molests you?“

Ash tilts his head back, squeezing his friend’s hand tighter.

“You have no idea—what he fucking does—“

It’s quiet for a minute, before Shorter rubs his eyes, detaching himself from Ash’s back. 

“I’m gonna put these on you now.”

Ash nods, before pulling the hoodie up and off of his body. 

_ I’m gonna regret telling him that. _

————

“No, Max—this is  _ so fucking bad— _ you have no idea.”

“So—it’s not a restaurant?”

Yue furrows his brow, turning the card over in his hands. “If I’m remembering right—Club Cod is like—a human trafficking thing. You’re sure this is real?”

“You’re joking.” Max murmurs, wide eyed. He peeps at the business card again. “What the  _ fuck?” _

Yue bites his lip. 

“You told me you were suspicious—something was going on with Ash.” Max presses. 

“I mean yeah—I thought—“ Yue pauses. “I figured we had some—  _ struggles  _ in common. Didn’t think he was a fucking Golzine.”

The bell on the door jingles as it swings open. 

“His last name is Callenreese.” Eiji huffs, stomping his foot from the doorway. “And why are we talking about him?!”

Yue shakes his head, pulling out his chair. “Cause his dad is a fucking demon—“

Max waves Eiji over to where they’re sitting.

“You said they have different last names?”

Eiji furrows his brow.

“Well—yes. Did you take his ID when you hired him?”

Max pales, before rubbing his eyes and groaning in frustration.

“No. He told me he couldn’t get a hold of it. I pay him in cash.”

Yut Lung points to Eiji—and his finger is notably shaking.

“He’s probably not Dino’s actual kid. I mean—he’s pretty obviously  _ trying  _ to get out. God—“ Yut Lung pauses, patting his pockets. “Max—I think your phone is going off.”

Max pulls his phone from his jacket pocket, watching it buzz rhythmically for a moment. “It’s Nadia. One sec.”

—————

“You can’t tell your sister. You can’t.”

Ash is splayed out on the bed now, face in Shorter’s lap. He’s pretty sure he just made the biggest mistake of his life. He can’t just— _ stay _ at Chang Dai—he can’t just— _ not  _ go home. 

“See—I’m in a really weird spot here, Ash.” Shorter sighs, curling his hands through Ash’s hair. It feels good despite everything, turns Ash into putty. “I think Nadia would know what to do better than me.”

“But I don’t  _ want _ Nadia to know.”

“Why?”

Ash exhales, and leans into the soft scratching behind his ear. “I can’t have anyone else know. I wasn’t even supposed to tell you.”

“Okay.” Shorter huffs in surrender, rubbing the back of Ash’s neck. “Well whether we tell her or not—I hope you know I’m not letting you go home tonight.”

Ash rolls his eyes. “I have to. If he finds out I’ve been sneaking out, he’s going to kill me.”

“Yeah—Ash I’m saying that I’m never going to let you go back there ever again. Like— _ ever _ .”

“It’s not your choice to make.”

“I’m so sorry—but I am not above  _ literally  _ locking you in my closet.”

“I can’t. I really can’t. You don’t understand—“ Ash sniffs. “Dino—he isn’t worth going to fucking jail over.”

Shorter just shrugs, combing back Ash’s hair rhythmically. “Yeah—but  _ you  _ are.”

Before Ash can reply, Nadia pops back into her brothers bedroom, phone to her ear. 

“Shorter said he showed up here like a few hours ago? Yeah—“ she pauses, looking Ash up and down. “He doesn't look any worse than usual.”

Ash flings himself up out of Shorter’s lap and into a sitting position. “Who are you talking to?!”

_ If it’s the cops I’m fucking dead— _

Nadia gives Ash an annoyed look, and mouths  _ ‘Max’ _

Ash stands up, fists at his sides.  _ That's even worse— _

“Don’t tell Max I’m here!”

“Already did. Yeah—sorry Max—now he’s throwing a fit—“ 

Ash bolts to the door—but she slams it in his face.  _ “Nadia!” _

It’s overwhelming—he shows up at a friends place for a shoulder to cry on and now the entirety of everyone he knows is up in his business. 

“Let’s go get you something to eat.” Shorter murmurs, standing behind Ash. “And then Max can help my sister out. They usually know what to do.”

————

“Eiji—Yue.” Max nods, hanging up the phone. “Watch the front for me. I’ll be back before we close.” 

Yue clutches the business card on the counter, studying it over and over again, Eiji peeking over his shoulder, brow furrowed. 

“Why?” Eiji tuts, worry absolutely dripping from his expression. Max sighs, pulling out his chair and standing. 

“I’m gonna go talk to my lawyer.”

—————

Ash wakes up, bleary eyed and tucked into Shorter’s bed. Upon further inspection—the sun hasn't set yet, and his friend is nowhere to be seen. 

_ What time is it ? _

Ash gets up, a little dizzy—and opens the door to Shorter’s room. He still has time to get home, right? God—

The hallway is longer than he remembers, as he listens for their voices. He can hear sound coming from Nadia’s room, so he knocks gently on the door. It creaks open, Shorter smiling at him gently from the other side.

“Hey—so—“ Shorter starts, brushing Ash’s shoulder. “I—I’m talking to my sister. About what you told me earlier.” He pauses when Ash’s face falls. “Just go back to sleep—or wait in my room.”

“I—I can’t—“

“Just—just stay in there, okay? I’m trusting you not to leave. We’ll be in here if you need us.”

Ash let’s the door fall shut—his best friend on the other side—spilling all his secrets. His eyes dart to the clock—Dino got off work ten minutes ago. 

_ I have to go home. _

He creeps further into the hallway, ignoring the hushed voices. The light in Sing’s room is on, so he should be good to go. 

Ash heads down the stairs, featherlight, and slips out through the back door of Chang Dai.

_ Sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged any of you into this mess.  _ He thinks, scrunching his face.  _ I’m not worth any of this. Any of it. _

Ash knocks on the back door to Banana Fish, a little frantically, and winces when Max opens the door.

“Max—I need a ride home. I’m running late.”

Max. It’s so good to see him—just his face—makes Ash feel considerably better. 

“Not even gonna say hello first?” Max soothes, pressing a hand against Ash’s back. “I’m sorry for not visiting you yet—I’m working on figuring some things out—“

Ash shakes his head frantically, pointing to the parking lot. “I have to leave  _ now.” _

“I thought you were staying next door?”

“I can’t. I can’t—he’ll call the fucking cops if I do.”

Max looks conflicted—and Ash does  _ not  _ have the time for this.

“If you don’t take me home now—I’ll never see you again. He can make me disappear—he  _ can.”  _ Ash swallows. “I don’t know how much you know—or what anyone here has told you—but you  _ have  _ to listen to me, Max.”

Max hesitantly reaches into his pockets, car keys jingling, and pulls them out. 

“Okay. Okay, Ash. Fuck—“

They hop down the steps together—and Max keeps glancing around the parking lot like he’s looking for something.

“I’m really late.” Ash pants, eyebrows drawn together. 

Max turns to him, looks him up and down. “What happens if you’re late?”

Ash swallows. “Nothing.”

He clambers into the passenger seat, and his heart  _ thunders  _ as Max pulls out of the lot. If Dino finds out that he left the house—

Ash will probably never see the light of day again.

Ash leans forward, head between his knees, and  _ sobs. _

“Ash—you can talk to me. What happens if you’re home late?”

“I can’t fucking say!” Ash gasps between his pitiful little cries. He looks up towards the road, peeps out in a tiny voice. “Turn left right here.”

Max listens, but keeps glancing over at Ash.

“You can say. Is he even your dad? Yut Lung told me—”

Ash swallows, before interrupting. “Turn right at the light. And he’s my dad.” He lies, wiping his eyes. He gestures to the gated community, and Max nods before pulling up to it.

They’re outside of Ash’s neighborhood now, and the mere sight of his house in the distance is making him tremble uncontrollably. Who knows what’s waiting for him inside? Ash subconsciously clutches the seat, the various ways he’s about to be violated flashing through his mind. Would Dino take photos this time? Like he used to? Would he invite friends over like he did the last time Ash acted up?

Ash is so caught up in his head, he doesn’t even notice that the car has stopped.

“Ash.” Max breathes, and Ash flinches violently at the hand on his shoulder, curling in on himself like a frightened child. 

“Why—why did you stop?” Ash trembles, his pulse thundering. He needs to get home  _ now.  _ Dino might be counting the seconds he’s late…. preparing to use them against him later. 

Max stares at him for a moment, before glancing back at the neighborhood, and putting the car in reverse.

“Yeah. I’m not taking you back there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Local cat runs away from Chang Dai. Gets kidnapped by new father figure. Eiji is a big part of the next chapter sorru I’m trying to let everyone have their turn  
> Please leave comment ily


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max raises his hands defensively. “Well—when you phrase it like that—“
> 
> “Did you—“ Jessica shakes her head, stiff from shock. “Oh Max—you did not kidnap a kid—you didn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said Eiji was in this chapter but I literally lied. I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me. I love you so dearly. Eiji is in chapter 10 not 9. I am literally crazy with worms on the brain and I need you to understand this.  
> This is all Jess and ash because I’m crazy.
> 
> Triggers: disordered eating/food restriction (explicit), sexual assault wounds, and discussions of abusive households

Ash furrows his brow, and peeks down at his screen from under the table. 

Ash: I promise I’m at Max’s

Ash: I’ll send my location. 

  
His phone buzzes the second it sends—and Ash decides to just keep sharing it. Shorter’s nosey ass probably wants to know where he is at all times anyways.

Shorter: oh my god thank you

Ash: I’m so sorry.

Shorter: you gave me an actual heart attack

Ash: I’m so sorry. Are you mad?

Shorter: agsgahshsbbzbs

Shorter: no. 

Ash: really?

Shorter: najdjsjshsbdbbxjdhxjxjsjs

Shorter: yes.

Ash: if you’re mad just say so

Shorter: I’m not mad. I just love you

Ash: for now.

————

Ash puts his phone down, and ignores how it keeps vibrating away in his lap. He stares at the dinner plate in front of him, stiff as a board.  _ What am I doing here? _

“So—“ Max’s wife— _ Jessica— _ starts, looking at Ash from across the table. “It’s really nice to meet you, Ash. Max says you’re a good worker.”

“Thanks.” 

It’s painfully silent—Jessica clearly trying to get Max’s attention and him clearly avoiding her gaze.  
_ Max. Fucking idiot. How are you going to bring an entire seventeen year old home and not give your wife an explanation? _

Jessica clears her throat pointedly, and Ash can see her bat at her husband's ankle from under the table. Max’s eyes widen for a split second—before he goes back to playing oblivious. 

“Ash—“ Jessica grins sweetly, clearly pissed. “What made you decide to come by for dinner?”

Ash glances up at Max helplessly, who still looks  _ absolutely  _ terrified. 

“I—I—I don’t know. Sorry.”

Jessica looks him up and down—before reaching over to tap his plate. “Do you want to eat something else?”

Ash jolts, before grabbing his fork. “Sorry—I didn’t know if I was—allowed.”

Jessica wrinkles her nose, and moves the plate closer to him. “Why wouldn’t you be allowed?”

Ash swallows any semblance of a reply. She’s really serious—seems like her husband took all the gentleness for himself. 

“Max.” Jessica deadpans, turning to her husband. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

Ash feels a tug on his sleeve, and looks down to see Max’s little boy pulling on Nadia’s hoodie.  _ Right. I didn’t change back. Good thing I didn’t go back to Dino’s. _

“What is it?” 

Michael’s eyes widen, and he points to the chicken on his plate. “Can you cut it for me?”

Ash nods, and grabs a knife before slicing it into little pieces for him, making sure to cut them extra small for his little plastic fork.

“Ash—“ Jessica starts. “Do you need a ride home after dinner?”

“Uh—“ Ash feels his lip wobble, pausing the knife in his hands. “I—“

“He’s actually going to be—spending the night.” Max interrupts, scratching the back of his head nervously. Jessica tilts her head. 

“On a school night? Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?” 

Max and Ash both pale simultaneously, before Max clears his throat. “Ash—he doesn’t go to school.”

“Okay…..” Jessica pauses, putting down her fork. “I can take you home after I drop Michael off, then.”

Max laughs nervously, before taking Jessica’s hand from across the table. 

“Ah—see, Ash needs a place to stay for a while.”

Jessica whips her head between them, brow furrowed.

“Why?”

Ash drops his fork back on the plate with a clatter, before sinking into his chair. “You should’ve just taken me home like I told you to. My dads gonna kill  _ both  _ of us now.”

Jessica pulls her hand away like it’s burned, leaning in towards Ash. “Wait—do your parents know that you’re here?!”

Ash feels his eyes well with tears. This is so fucking frustrating! “No. My dad probably thinks I’m missing.”

Jessica stands, slamming her hands on the table. “We are taking you home  _ right now!” _

Ash stands up, fists clenched at his sides. “I _begged_ your husband to take me home—and he took me here instead—and won’t let me leave!”

Max raises his hands defensively. “Well—when you phrase it like that—“

“Did you—“ Jessica shakes her head, stiff from shock. “Oh Max—you did not kidnap a kid—you didn’t.”

The air is practically buzzing with tension—Michael casually swinging his legs under the table, sat happily between another oncoming divorce. 

“I didn’t—well—listen—it was justified!” Max whines, hands in his hair. Jessica just stares at him, incredulous— 

“What the  _ hell _ is wrong with you?!”

“I couldn’t take him home, Jess! He was crying—he was so scared of his dad!”

“There are  _ other  _ ways to go about helping him—”

Max huffs, and gestures over towards Ash. “Are there?! Because look at him—he’s ten fucking pounds and everyone who’s ever seen him has let it get this bad—“

“Oh? So your solution is having the fucking cops show up and take him away? Back to his house? Max—we could’ve done this  _ right—“ _

“If we had  _ time  _ maybe! He looks like he’s got one more fucking week on him at this rate—“

“They’re gonna go to your work—and they’re gonna see you were the last person he was with—“

“Nobody even knows he works there! Fuck—I don’t even think his dad knows he’s stepped foot outside his house!”

“This could make shit  _ worse  _ for him!”

“From what I’ve put together I really don’t think it’s possible to get fucking worse!”

“Max—there are  _ ways  _ to go about helping him without—“

_ Without bringing him inside our house. Without having to deal with his sorry ass.  _ Ash finishes her sentence in his head, dropping his face in his hands.  _ Nobody wants you, anywhere that you go. Look what you’re doing to them, just by showing up! _

His face crumples, and he lets out a pitiful little squeak from the back of his throat. Sitting back down, he curls in on himself—and lets out a hiccuping-sob. 

It makes the entire house fall silent—and Ash can feel Jessica and Max staring at him from where they’re standing. Something about that makes him cry harder—just two more notches in his belt of fuck ups. Once the initial shock wears off of them—Jess rounds the table with the expertise only a mother can have, and drops down to his side.

“Ash—“ She softens, touching his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

It’s not what he was expecting.

The dam inside him bursts at her gentle touch and the soft tone of her voice. Ash cries harder—muffled and piteous, the way he was taught.  _ I don’t belong here—or anywhere— _

“Did we scare you? You probably don’t like yelling, right?”

Ash hiccups—wiping his face the best he can with the back of his wrists and the heels of his palms. “I—I—I can leave—I’m sorry—“

“What?!” Jessica pulls his wrists away from where they’re pressed against his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Jessica keeping him from hiding his face in his hands makes the whole interaction ten times more vulnerable. Ash dips his head down instead, willing his bangs to cover him the best they can.

“You want me—to leave—“

Jessica exhales, and shakes her head. 

“Why would I want that? You have been a  _ pleasure. _ Has anyone ever told you what nice manners you have?” 

Ash bites his lip—watching the puddle of tears on Nadia’s pants grow bigger and bigger. When he doesn’t reply, Jessica continues on.

“I can see why you're upset. I didn’t mean to get so frustrated.” She pauses, stroking Ash’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for hurting your feelings.”

That—that takes Ash off guard. He can’t remember the last time an adult apologized to him over  _ anything— _ let alone something as stupid as his feelings. Jessica is still kneeling in front of him, and hands him a napkin from the center of the table. 

“Where is your mom? Max said your dad isn’t safe?”

Ash brings the makeshift tissue an inch from his face and freezes—why does thinking about his parents make him so sad all of a sudden? Wasn’t that wound old? 

Or maybe he just hasn’t looked at it in a while. 

“Do you have a mom and dad?”

_ Oh—fuck you! _

Ash tilts his head up towards the ceiling and  _ sobs.  _ Full body—shoulders shaking and whiny guttural gasps. Jessica visibly melts—reaching around Ash’s shoulders and pulling him into her arms. She’s so warm it’s painful. Physically fucking painful.

“It’s just me.” Ash replies, voice thick against her shoulder. “I don’t have any family.”

“The man you live with—what is he to you?”

“Just some guy.”

“Do you know your mom and dad? Are they looking for you?”

_ No.  _

Ash returns the embrace, wrapping his arms around her. Around this  _ stranger.  _

_ You’re that fucking desperate for compassion.  _

He whimpers weakly when she draws her arms up between his shoulders, melting into her touch like a kid.

“My mom is—she died when I was little. My dad—“ Ash buries his face in her clavicle. “My dad isn’t looking for me.”

“Are you sure? We can help you find him.” She soothes, squeezing him—which makes Ash swallow a sob. He shakes his head. “He won’t want me anymore—especially after—“

“After what? What happened?”

Ash can see Max lean down out of the corner of his eye—and watches him scoop the baby into his arms. 

“Michael—let’s get you ready for bed, yeah?”

“Is he okay?” Michael mutters— and Ash can hear their footsteps and voices drift away from where he’s buried in Jessica’s arms. She pulls back a bit to his dismay, and studies his face. “What happened?”

Ash feels like the air has been punched out of him—why is he more than willing to tell this random woman his life’s story all of a sudden? He’s usually  _ so good  _ at keeping it locked up—

Maybe it’s the fact that Ash is running short on places to go—or the fact that he wants to scratch an itch in his heart where his mom went missing—but he reaches down hesitantly, takes her hand in his own.

“C-can I talk to you? About it—in a little bit? Maybe?”

Jessica—to his relief—holds his hand right back, turning it over in her palm. 

“Of course. Let’s get you cleaned up—“ She smiles, nodding to the bandages peeking out from his hoodie. “Did you do those?”

Ash sniffs, before standing up. “No—my friend—he helped me.”

She gives him a sad look, before stroking her thumb over his knuckles. Once, twice, and standing up. 

————

There’s a soft rapping at the door, and Ash pulls his knees to his chest quickly, sinking further into the warm water.

Max doesn’t open the door like Ash expects—but calls to him instead.

“Can I come in?”

_ What do I say to that? _

Shorter is easier—he’s Ash’s age—so he’s automatically safe. But how can Ash say no to a grown man in his own house? 

“Um—I don’t—“

Max hums from behind the door—doesn’t sound the least bit angry. 

“Do you want Jess instead?”

Ash perks up at that—he didn’t expect to be getting options here. 

“Yeah—can she?”

“Course.”

There’s a pause—before Ash sees the handle jiggle. He pulls the shower curtain a little bit closer to himself.

Jess slips inside the bathroom, stepping over a little container of bath toys by the sink, and shutting the door behind her. She turns around and locks it, to Ash’s relief. 

“Can I come over there?” She asks, nodding to him from where he’s white knuckling the curtain. “I can help you take your bandaids off.”

Ash hesitates, before nodding nervously. He curls in on himself further with each step she takes towards him, distrust plain on his face. 

Jess just sits at the edge of the tub, hands held out in front of her, palms open in surrender. 

“Can I touch you?”

“Yeah.” Ash breathes, eyes following her hands like a hawk. She just slips a nail under one of the bandaid’s sticky edges—and gently starts peeling it off of his skin.

“That was nice of your friend to help you with these.” She hums, pursing her lips. “I can tell he did his best.”

Ash stares down at the water—his bruised legs and knees shivering from nerves. 

“Yeah.”

Ash can slowly feel himself relaxing, though. The grip on his knees loosen, and he raises his head a little bit. 

It’s quiet—minus the soft trickle of water. He can feel her gently run a palm over his spine, brushing the ridges that stick out oh-so prominently. 

“Do you have trouble eating?”

Ash shuts his eyes. “Sometimes.”

“It’s hard to take care of yourself.” She pauses. “Especially when you don’t have anyone helping you.”

The bandaids are all off—and he can feel cool air on his back. He watches as she reaches over to grab a rag from under the sink—probably one of Michael’s—and dips it in the water next to him. It makes him want to cry—for more reasons than his usual terror. 

“Ouch. Looks like these hurt.”

Ash flinches when she runs the wash rag over his shoulders. 

“It’s not a big deal.”

She laughs softly to herself, running a thumb against the nape of his neck. 

“You’re tougher than I am. Michael hits me in his sleep and I start crying.”

Ash pauses, before lowering his voice. “Sometimes I cry about it.”

“That’s good. Makes it feel better I bet.”

The rag is warm on his back—but the soap she put on it stings a little. She’s being purposefully gentle, though. Which is nice. She continues in soft, rhythmic circles, cleaning off his skin, sometimes with the rag, but also her palms and fingers every once and awhile.

“Have you ever told the police about what’s going on?”

She asks, and Ash sighs, wordlessly leaning back into her touch. 

“Yeah—some of them do it too, though. They’re friends with—you know.” He mutters. Half assed explanation. Oh well.

She leans over him, and grabs at a cup resting on the side of the tub, filling it with water and pouring it over his back. 

“Max—he went to prison for a while.” She murmurs, refilling the makeshift pitcher. “I know it’s—unfair. To a lot of people.”

Ash furrows his brow, shuddering when she dunks another cupful over his body.

“What are you going to do? With me—I mean.”

He’s almost frightened to hear her answer. This is the closest he has ever gotten to anything real in his entire life. 

“Well—we’re not going to up and leave you. You need a place to stay—and we have a room to give.” 

She pauses—before standing up and walking to the sink, kneeling underneath it. 

“I keep my good shampoo under here. Michael uses that shit to make bubbles.” She sighs, shaking her head. Ash blinks up at her, knees still drawn to his chest. 

“I don’t need that—“

“I know you don’t  _ need  _ it.” She grins, sitting back down on the ledge. “Your hair is too pretty. I can’t help myself.”

Hands in his hair, rubbing circles into his scalp. He feels like a little boy—not again, but for the first time. Jess holds the nape of his neck to help him tilt his head back—and it's so warm—and she has fake nails that scratch behind his ears very gently. He shuts his eyes without even noticing—eyebrows drawn together in something that isn’t agony. 

“I think I have some clothes from when I was a teenager that might fit you.” She murmurs, rinsing him off one last time. “Stay put, and I’ll be right back.” 

Ash aches at the loss, staring down at the water. It’s so cold all of a sudden—when he’s by himself. 

The door creaks open again, and he curls in on himself even further. He must look like a feral animal—soaked, curled into a ball and face buried in his knees behind a mop of blonde hair. It wouldn’t be surprising if he started hissing and growling to act the part.

Jess places a pile of clothes on the sink, and a towel on the edge of the bath, seemingly unphased by his demeanor. 

_ She’s so nice. _

“There’s a toothbrush for you in the drawer. Come out whenever you’re ready.”

—————

Ash presses his hand against the wall—and creeps downstairs as quiet as he can. Their voices waft through the house—and it’s surprisingly music to his ears. 

He rounds the corner and peeps into the living room, trying to make eye contact with either Jess or Max, so they can invite him to sit or something. 

“Ash!” Jess smiles, waving him over. “Come here.”

They’re on the couch, so Ash sits on the carpet in front of them, eyes widening when Jess pushes his chin to face forward. He feels her reach against his neck—and gather a handful of his hair into her grasp, pulling a tie off her wrist and twisting it into a bun.

“See—if George thinks it’ll be alright, I think we can go a while without worrying.” She hums, twisting the tie around Ash’s locks rhythmically.

“The only thing is—is Dino’s apparently got a lot of connections. Or that’s what Yue said.” Max sighs, standing up. Ash feels the hair tie pop against his scalp, and he leans back so the couch is pressed against his shoulders, Jessica’s legs on either side of him.

“Is everything okay?” Ash breathes, referring to the conversation he walked in on. Jessica smiles down at him and nods, scratching his head. 

_ “You— _ young man, shouldn’t be worrying about it. You should be in bed.” 

Ash nods, and gets up to follow her back upstairs, past the open door of Michael’s bedroom, and into the one across the hall from what he assumes is Jessica and Max’s. 

“Alright.” She sighs, pulling back the covers. “Hop in.”

Ash crawls under the sheets—and curls up on his side. The blankets are soft and heavy—and he’s really really tired tonight. Even after his nap at Shorter’s this afternoon. Oh—he should probably check his phone, yeah? Maybe tomorrow. His eyes feel really heavy, and Jess is squeezing the covers over his shoulders. Ash blinks slowly—looking up to meet her eyes. The realization hits him like a train, and he furrows his brow.

“I think I’m dreaming.”

Jessica laughs, and massages his temple. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

Ash just exhales, and shakes his head against the pillow. “I bet I got really depressed—and made you up.”

“Hmm. Michael likes Max more.” She hums, pinching his nose. It makes him buck up in laughter, swatting her hand away. 

“Don’t hit me.” She huffs, catching his hand playfully. “And go to sleep.”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!! Please comment if you did, they make me very very happy and I love you!!!  
> Anyone else here dying for a mother’s touch or is that just me? Haha. Ha.  
> I love you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before, and the morning after. 
> 
> (Hurt/comfort extravaganza)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t read this back so if something is completely wrong I apologize 😆
> 
> Triggers: Self blame, discussions of rape, talking about abuse, physical pain from past abuse, disordered eating.

Eiji clocks out at eight, punching the keypad to set the alarm. It’s dark outside, and a little chilly so he stuffs his hands in his pockets. 

Chang Dai is closed too—which is a little early for them. Eiji knocks on the back door—waits a minute. Are they already all upstairs? Eiji knocks on the door again, and it swings open. 

Sing blinks up at him—which is a little unexpected. Eiji steps inside, and ruffles his hair. 

“You should not get the door so late.” He scolds. Shorter hates when Sing is downstairs by himself after dark. Though Eiji isn’t sure why. 

Sing shrugs, and shuts the door behind them. He turns to Eiji, motioning for him to follow him out of the kitchen. 

“Do you know what’s going on?” 

Eiji tilts his head. “With Ash?”

“Yeah.” Sing nods. 

Eiji presses his hand against the wall—reaching over Sing’s head to hold the employee door open for him. “Not really. I am here to figure it out.”

There’s a beat of silence, and Eiji pushes back the curtain that leads to the stairs—out of the dining room, but Sing grabs his wrist. 

“Nadia won’t tell me anything. Shorter either.” He mumbles. “Will you tell me?”

Eiji softens, slipping his hand down to take Sing’s in his own. 

“I am not sure.”

Sing doesn’t seem to like that—but shrugs it off, kicking off his sneakers before he goes up the landing. He’s never whiny with Eiji. 

“Shorter told me to stay out of his room.” He continues, leading Eiji up the stairs. He’s clutching Eiji’s hand—flush poignant on the back of his ears and neck. “But I bet you can go inside. Cause you’re so nice.”

Eiji smiles. “Aww. Thanks, Sing. You are nice too.”

Sing just coughs at that, and turns to his own doorway when they get up the landing, finally dropping Eiji’s hand out of its death grip. He shuts the door wordlessly, and a little fast.

Eiji sighs, and knocks on Shorter’s door twice. 

“It is me.”

————

Ash’s hair is still tied back out of his face, so he can see the light streaming through the window very clearly. _Where am I?_

The sheets are really soft, and he’s tucked beneath them all small. Memories from last night hit him like a brick—oh god. 

How’d he get so lucky?

 _Am I allowed to get up?_ Ash wonders, pulling himself to sit and peek around the room. Quietly, he swings his legs over the edge of the bed, before standing. Fuck! He sits right back down. His legs are really, really, sore. He wants to curl up in bed again—but he’s painfully thirsty. Ash tries again, and his knees almost give out from the pain. It’s been forever since he’s slept through the night without anything _happening_ to him—so all the aching must’ve been lying in wait.

Creeping to the door, Ash turns the handle and peeps outside. The hall is empty—and it’s quiet. Max is probably at work. Maybe he’s alone at their house. _Maybe they aren’t going to come back._

What the hell is wrong with him? Thinking shit like that! Ash rounds the corner and paces down the stairs—and he can hear something in the kitchen. Peeking out from behind the wall—Ash can see Jess standing by the stove. 

He hesitates—pressing his hand against the kitchen table. 

“Hey—Jessica?”

Jess smiles, and turns to face him. “What is it sweetheart?”

 _Sweetheart._ Oh. Ash likes that. 

Wait. What was he going to say again?

“Um—nothing. Sorry.”

She shakes her head, and nods towards the kitchen table, watching Ash sit. “Good morning.”

He curls his legs underneath himself. “Good—morning.”

“It’s just me and you right now.” She hums, brushing him gently on the shoulders. She pulls a glass out of the clean side of the sink, and fills it with water. “Do you like eggs?”

Ash shrugs, and takes the cup as she hands it to him. 

“I—I don’t eat breakfast.”

“Yeah.” Jess huffs, patting his shoulder. “I can definitely tell. You’re going to eat right now, okay?”

Ash wrinkles his nose subconsciously, and she sighs. 

“And drink all of that. You look dehydrated.”

Ash drinks—and drinks—and fuck, that’s really good. It makes his head feel cooler. Jess sets a plate down in front of him, and presses silverware at the edge of his napkin. She pulls out the chair next to him, and rests her head on her palm.

“Hey—Jess?” _Can I call her that?_

“Hmm?”

Ash picks up the fork awkwardly, waiting for some sort of signal. She softens, and sighs. “You don’t have to ask.”

It’s quiet for a minute while Ash eats a little, glancing up at her every few seconds. “Can I ask you something?”

She smiles—and stretches her arms behind her head. “Sure.”

“Um—where do you work?”

“I’m a journalist, like Max. But more so for magazines.”

Ash eats a little. Moves it around his plate. Eats a little more. He’s doing more thinking about eating than actual eating. 

_Stop acting fucking crazy._

Jessica brushes her hair behind her ear, and her own question takes him off guard.

“When did you stop doing school?”

Ash swallows. “Third grade or so.”

“Is that when all this bad stuff started happening to you?”

Ash eats most of what's on his plate, which seems to be enough for Jessica, and he lets her take it from him, a pang of guilt at realizing she’s going to be doing his dishes.

“Yeah.”

She doesn’t reply to that, just turns the sink off, and wipes her hands on the towel hooked inside the cabinet. 

“Let’s go sit on the couch and talk.” She urges, nudging his shoulder. Ash stands, and follows her into the living room. She saw him in the bath—so she probably already knows. He’s pretty sure she would’ve kicked him out by now if she had an issue—but it still makes him nervous.

—————

“You should tell me about it.” Eiji tries, pressing a palm to Shorter’s shoulder. “You are obviously unhappy.”

It’s been painfully awkward. Shorter won’t even _begin_ to explain why Ash ran off.

_Maybe they got in a fight._

Shorter shrugs at Eiji—but it’s off. This whole interaction is off. His eyes are wide, and he’s got his arms wrapped around himself. 

“I’m _fine_ Eiji. You shouldn’t worry about me.”

_It does not look like I will be getting any answers tonight._

Eiji stands with a soft exhale, the mattress creaking beneath him. He looks down at Shorter, and gives him a patient smile.

“Do you want to be alone right now?”

Shorter doesn’t reply—just stares down at his hands, shoulders hunched. His hair is in his face a little—unstyled and hanging against his cheekbones. Eiji frowns. Ash isn’t answering his texts. Shorter’s turned into a brick wall. Max up and left all of a sudden. What the _hell_ is going on?

“Shorter, you guys are worrying me.”

Shorter finally looks at him, eyes wide, gaze a little unfocused. 

“Um—“ he starts, bringing the heel of his palm up to his face. “Ash—he—“

Shorter curls in on himself, and bursts into tears.

“Sorry Eiji! It’s cause—cause—“ he tries, but he’s hyperventilating a bit, words sounding guttural and punched. Eiji immediately rushes back over to him.

“No, it’s okay! What happened?”

“I fucked up—I’m so sorry!”

“No! No, no—it is okay!” Eiji fusses, taking one of Shorter’s hands. He’s shaking— _oh_

“What is wrong? Did you two argue?”

“N-no. He—he just—he’s got it so bad—and—and I don’t think I helped at all—and I didn’t know what to say but I should’ve said _something_ —and I feel so fucking sick—Eiji—“

Eiji curls his arms around Shorter’s shoulders, and Shorter _immediately_ clings to him, squeezing his middle. He’s warm as always—but shaking like a leaf, nails digging into Eiji’s back. 

“I do not know what you are talking about, but I am sure you helped him just fine.” Eiji soothes, pulling him closer. 

“I didn’t!” Shorter gasps—and oh—he’s sobbing—Eiji nuzzles his cheek and coos. “I should’ve done something—he’s gone back there and I let him and I—“

Shorter’s getting really loud and pitchy. Eiji looks down at him in his arms, and he looks tiny almost—without his glasses—curling in on his friend desperately. 

Eiji takes him further into his arms—runs his hands through his hair, shushing and gentle. _What happened? What did Ash say to him?_

“Shhh. It is okay.” Eiji cringes, because maybe it’s not and he just doesn’t know. But that’s not what Shorter needs to hear right now. He’s sobbing so hard Eiji thinks he might _actually_ throw up, the sound echoing through his room. Eiji just holds him, and holds him, because it’s all he can do. Heart pounding through the back of his shirt, gasping into Eiji’s neck—breathy and devastated. Eiji shuts his eyes, because this isn’t looking okay, and silently prays for Ash's safety, Shorter squirming in his arms.

Cries for Ash’s safety play like a mantra in his head, Shorter clinging to him, almost helplessly. Eiji presses a kiss to his cheekbone, heart shattering at the whimper Shorter makes in response. He’s panicking—he’s actually panicking—

Eiji’s eyes fly open with a start when Shorter’s bedroom door knocks against the wall, Nadia holding the handle in a white knuckle grip.

“He’s with Max.” She breathes, and Eiji hasn’t seen her since he got here—but her eyes are red, face drained. Panting with vigor. Shorter’s head flies up from Eiji’s embrace, and he lets out a shuddering breath.

“W-what?”

“Max took him home.”

“He’s not….?”

Nadia swallows. “He’s fine.”

Shorter slumps in his arms noticeably. Eiji can physically feel the relief radiating off of him. 

Nadia sighs, lifting her phone back to her ear.

“And I was right about to call Charlie, too.” 

Shorter doesn’t reply, just detangles himself from Eiji’s hold, and flips backwards onto the bed. 

“Ash—fucking _asshole!”_

“Shorter—“ Eiji hushes, placing a hand on his arm. 

“Don’t tell him I said that.” Shorter adds, rubbing his eyes. “He’s sensitive.”

Nadia shuts the door, leaving them alone again. Eiji curls onto his side, and wraps an arm around Shorter’s waist. 

“Care to tell me what happened, now?”

Shorter sighs, face still blotchy, voice still a little wet.

“Dude. I just went through—like the eleven stages of grief. Or whatever they call it.”

“I am not familiar.”

“Shits crazy.” 

Eiji scrubs his face in exasperation, and sighs. “Please just tell me what happened.”

Shorter blinks, before wrapping an arm around Eiji’s waist in return. “Right. Sorry. So basically I can’t tell you the details because it’s like—not my place. But his dad is hurting him real bad—and I thought he went home. So—you know.”

“You felt bad.” Eiji finishes, snapping his fingers together. 

“Exactly, Eiji. Always reading my mind.”

“We are—what is the word…” Eiji mutters, furrowing his brow.

“Psychic.”

Eiji pales in surprise, before grinning. “You guessed right. We should tell Ash how we are always doing this.”

Shorter nods, tangling their legs together. “We could go to Max’s place. I don’t know how long Ash is gonna be staying.”

“He can stay with me and Ibe. Or you and Nadia.”

“Yeah.” Shorter sighs. “We’ll figure it out.”

Eiji scoots back towards the pillows, and opens his arms. 

——————

“It’s uh—pretty bad. You know—hitting and shit.”

Jessica nods, listening intently. God—he wants to say _so much_ right now. 

“He also—does other stuff.”

Ash exhales, cheek pressed against his knees. He can barely look at her right now, eyes flickering between her gaze and the wall. Soft. Insecure. Heart fluttering. “Has he been raping you?” Jessica asks, almost carefully. She’s leaning forward, body language open. _Please don’t kick me out._

Ash nods silently, squeezing his eyes shut. To his relief—he feels her nails tap the crown of his head, scratching lightly. 

“I thought so. I’m glad you told me.”

Ash stiffens, and she moves her hand away. _Don’t. Don’t go._ _Don’t leave me._

He feels the couch shift, and hears some shuffling, before Jess taps his shoulder. He keeps his eyes screwed shut—it’s too much to deal with. 

“Ash. Can I put a blanket around you?”

“Yeah.” He replies, but it comes out as a soft whimper. There’s a soft warmth surrounding him, now, a grounding weight on his shoulders. He bites his lip when she rubs up and down his arms, soothing.

“Are you okay?” She asks, voice sweet and gentle. It makes Ash whine involuntarily—she’s so safe. She’s not like any adult he’s ever met before. 

Ash shudders, leaning into her touch. “M’fine. Sorry.”

“Are you sure, baby? That’s so horrible.”

Ash clenches his fists from where they’re squeezing the backs of his thighs, knees still drawn up to his chest protectively. 

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I've been like this since I was little. Like eight. And my dad didn’t even care. Everyone wants me to do it forever.” He blurts out, suddenly angry. He curls his hands in his hair and groans—but it’s more of a sob—even if tears won’t come. Jessica shakes her head, trying to peep her face into Ash’s line of vision.

“I don’t want that for you. And you aren’t _doing_ anything, Ash. You did not choose to have these things happen to you. I wish someone would’ve taken care of you.”

Ash yanks on his hair, and he claspes her hands over his knuckles. “Careful—“

“It’s cause’ everyone hates me.” Ash interrupts, seething. “They like it when I have to do stuff I hate—they think it’s funny—“

“No baby, no. I don’t think it’s funny. I don’t hate you, I _hate_ that you’ve had so many awful things happen to you, but not you.” 

Ash stares at her in disbelief, scowling. 

“I like it. I’m glad these things happen cause’ I deserve it.”

There’s a beat of silence where he thinks she might agree—but she leans forward, arms open. Ash doesn’t back up, just lets her press his face to her shoulder. She smells like lotion, like the shampoo he used last night. 

“Ash—shhh…..” she coos, holding him. “You are too young to comprehend half of the things you have gone through. Your mind is looking for explanations—and blaming yourself—deciding you’re a bad person to justify these things is _not_ right. You just haven’t been taught anything else.”

Ash freezes, slumping his head against her shoulder like a dead weight. Michael is the luckiest boy in the world. 

“Jess—I—“

“Trust me, okay? You deserve help.” She whispers, rocking him a bit. Ash holds his breath, before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and shutting his eyes. 

————

Jessica gets to work around eleven, sitting on the couch with her computer on her knees. Ash finds his phone from the countertop, and turns it over. 

Oops.

Eiji: 89 new messages

Shorter: 40 new messages 

Unknown: 3 new messages

Max: 2 new messages

_Yeah—no way I’m reading all this shit._ Ash thinks to himself, swiping up to unlock it. 

Max: good morning Ash! Have a great day!

Max: want me to bring Eiji over after work?

Ash swallows. Yeah. That sounds good.

Ash: good morning. And if it’s not too much trouble.

He scrubs his eyes, furrowing his brow at the unknown number.

Unknown: if you were shorter I’d beat you for running off like that 

Unknown: I don’t rlly beat him that was bad taste sorry lmao

Unknown: this is Nadia 

Ash rolls his eyes and saves the contact—before hovering over Eiji’s name.

Eiji: why is nobody letting me see you?!

Eiji: I got so mad I threw a cup. 

Eiji: Max had to send me home for stomping. 

Eiji: ASH ANSWER ME

Eiji: YOU WERE AT CHANG DAI?!?

Eiji: (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾

Eiji: I do not know what happened but let me know you are okay.

Eiji: you are precious to me

Tears sting the corners of Ash’s eyes, and he closes the messages, moving towards his group chat with Eiji and Shorter. 

Ash: I don’t have the emotional capacity to have a serious conversation right now can we save that for later

Eiji: yes. we can talk when I come over tonight!!!

Shorter: of course :)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR READING ILYYYYY SO KUCH BABY BABY BABY I LOVE YOUJUUH


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bigger guy furrows his brow, and steps forward. “That’s fine—but, I’m sorry, do you have an ID to verify that?”
> 
> Shorter freezes in his spot when it dawns on him.
> 
> Nadia told Dino that Eiji’s name was Shorter. 
> 
> They’re looking for Eiji. 
> 
> “I do. Can I go get it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: discussions of rape, Dino, Arthur, and stressful situations. (Similar to police showing up at a household). Light misgendering.

Eiji toes his shoes off at the door, bag slung over his shoulder for the night. 

“Thank you for having me, Max.”

Max locks the deadbolt and flashes Eiji a smile, and Eiji follows him into the kitchen. 

Ash is curled up on a kitchen chair, talking to Max’s wife. They’re both laughing—and Eiji doesn’t think he’s heard Ash speak this much— _ ever. _

“Ash.” Eiji breathes, dropping his backpack onto the chair across from his friend. “I missed you!!!”

Ash meets his eyes almost shyly, chin pointed down. He tucks a piece of hair behind his ear nervously and coughs.

“Hi.”

Eiji rounds the table, and flings his arms around Ash, sighing. He is here. His Ash. Eiji nuzzles his hair sweetly. Dear darling Ash. 

Ash flushes, and pats Eiji’s back awkwardly, squirming away at the sound of Max and Jessica’s laughter.

Jessica walks over, pressing a hand to Ash’s shoulder.

“Why don’t you go talk to your friend upstairs? I know you’ve missed him.”

Ash’s eyes dart around, unsure. Eiji feels a little sick.  _ Is he really that nervous to talk to me? _

“Okay.” Ash murmurs, standing and scooting out his chair. Eiji smiles at him, and slings his bag over his shoulder once again to follow him up the steps. Ash is very clearly staring at the ground, hunched in on himself.

“Hey—Eiji?”

“What is it?”

Ash turns to him, and he’s a little pale. 

“Um—do you know what happened to me?”

Eiji shakes his head, and reaches for Ash’s hand on the railing. “Would you like to tell me?”

Ash shrugs, and moves his hand away, almost quickly. Eiji’s heart sinks as he finishes the rest of the climb up the stairs.

“I’m staying in here.” Ash mutters, creaking the door open. “Jessica is really cool. She said I can stay as long as I want.” Ash adds, brow furrowed. “But I don’t think I will. I feel so bad already.”

Eiji shakes his head, and sits down on the bed. “Why is that?” 

Ash swallows, and shuts the door, before taking the spot next to Eiji. The mattress creaks, and he flinches.

“I—I’m causing a lot of issues for everyone. They have to bring back Max’s lawyer—talking to him about all my issues.” Ash murmurs, drawing his knees up. “I just wanna be normal. I—“ he stops, turning away shyly.

“You what?” Eiji urges, leaning forward.

Ash peeps up at him, hesitant and bashful, with tears on his waterline. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

The shyness makes Eiji melt. “What is it?”

Ash let’s a puff of air out through his nose.

“I—I keep thinking about like—Jess being my mom. And me and you being friends from work—and we could—“ Ash stops, breath hitching, and he puts his face in his palms. 

There’s a beat of silence, and Eiji can see tears leaking out from under his hands. He opens his mouth to say something, but Ash continues.

“When you asked me—to go to see a movie with you—I wanted to go so bad.” He hiccups, and he’s sobbing now, tears streaming down his face. “I want to go—so so bad—you have no idea.” 

Eiji wraps an arm around his shoulder, but Ash  _ sobs,  _ and throws himself down onto Eiji’s lap. Eiji startles, but runs a hand up and down his spine, shushing him.

“We can still go, Ash! Do not cry.”

Ash just cries harder, ignoring Eiji’s response with full body shakes.

“I want to go—do that with you—nobody ever—took me before!” He cries clutching Eiji’s thigh like a lifeline. “Nobody ever liked me enough to—to take me—I like you so much Eiji—“ he’s shuddering, and shaking, and gasping for air. Eiji melts, reaching down to hold him then best he can.

“Ash, I like you too! We are already friends, we will still go. We have so much time to have fun together!”

Ash sniffs, calming down a bit, and Eiji pats his back. It’s quiet for a minute—and Ash sits up, wiping his face. He puts his hands on his knees, and turns away.

“What do you think of people who—ugh. You’re too good. You’d never talk to me again.”

“Ash.” Eiji deadpans, tapping his wrist. “Just say it. You can trust me.”

“Do you know about like—rape and stuff?”

Eiji nods, and pokes his cheek. “Yes, Ash. I am nineteen. I am aware of the subject.”

Ash just shrugs. “What do you think?”

“That it is terrible?” Eiji tries, tilting his head. 

Ash wrinkles his nose, before scrubbing it. “Kay. I figured.”

“Figured what?”

“That you’d think it’s terrible.”

Eiji feels his heart murmur as the realization dawns on him. Ash is seeking his approval before he shares something. Eiji presses a hand to his shoulder.

“The victim is not horrible. They should not carry shame.”

Ash’s head whips up at that, eyes watery and gaze wavering. Eiji reaches out to him, and Ash pulls him close. 

“Okay, Eiji.”

“That man—he is terrible, Ash. Not you.”

Ash buries his face into Eiji’s shoulder, and sniffs, voice cracking.

“Kay. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

—————

There’s a knocking sound—It’s not loud—but it echoes through the restaurant, all the way up the stairs.

Shorter sits up and blinks—what the hell was that? Oh well. If he doesn’t know it probably doesn’t matter. He shuts his eyes and curls back against Nadia’s pillow, having crashed in her room for the night. It’s routine for him when things get shitty, seeking out the older girl like his life depends on it. He pats the blankets to his left, it’s cold. 

Shit. Where’s his sister?

And there’s  _ another  _ knock on the door.

_ No no no no no no no— _

Shorter grabs his knife from where it’s propped next to his phone on the nightstand—it’s two in the morning! Hurrying down the hall, he rushes down the stairs, turning the corner towards the second landing—before slamming into Nadia at full force.

“Fuck!” She gasps, knocking into the wall. Shorter laughs in relief—she’s alive! Yay! 

“Hey sis!” Oops. Now she’s mad. Nadia gathers herself, stumbling for a second before scowling. 

“Be quiet. Somethings going on.”

Shorter peeps over the railing alongside her—there are lights pouring into the kitchen from the glass of the front doors. Headlights? Nadia taps his shoulder, and they both crouch down. 

“It’s not the cops. I just know.” She breathes, brow furrowed. Shorter cringes, looking at his sister—she’s just a slip of a thing—her and Sing both. 

“Should I say I live alone?” He murmurs, pulling himself to a stand. Nadia shakes her head, grabbing his sleeve. 

“Should we even answer it?” 

Shorter shrugs—“I don’t know? I mean—they usually just end up coming back.”

They both fall silent for a moment—Shorter watching his sister think. She pinches the bridge of her nose, before touching his arm.

“Okay—you're gonna see why they’re here—if it’s the cops say nothing—if it’s Ash related—we don’t know him—me and you live alone.” She instructs, nodding to the knife in his palm. “And hide that.”

“Yes mam.”

Okay. Okay. Okay. They can deal with this. There’s another rap on the door, and she presses her back against the wall. Shorter stands, and starts heading down the stairs. 

“Stay where they can't see you.” He mutters to her, approaching the entrance. The top and bottom parts are glass—so they can probably see him. That’s fine. He pushes it open—it’s a little chilly—and there’s two men standing outside.

“Hey.” He breathes—squinting in the bright light. It’s foggy—but he can see that they’re well dressed. It’s probably not neighborhood gang shit, then. Oh god.

Two men—both white. One blonde, maybe in his forties? The other guy is bigger—he’s got a moustache. Nadia always tells him to take notes on how people are looking. 

The blonde one steps forward, seemingly comfortable on their patio. 

“Hello. Sorry to drop by at such a late hour. We’re on a bit of a search right now.” He starts. Shorter nods.  _ They’re looking for Ash.  _

Nadia’s voice rings in his ears.  _ Just be polite.  _

“Yeah? How can I help you?”

The man steps forward further with a smile, and juts his arm out. He’s got a line of scars on his fingers. 

“My names Arthur. Me and my friend here are looking for a Nadia and a what was it? Shorter. Do you know where we could find them?”

Shorter blinks in surprise. That’s… not Ash. He nods hesitantly. 

“Um—that would be me. Not both—just Uh. My name is Shorter.”

Both men squint at him in confusion.

“Do you know a Nadia?”

Shorter swallows. “I do. I’m gonna be honest—I’m not comfortable telling you where you can find her.”

The bigger guy furrows his brow, and steps forward. “That’s fine—but, I’m sorry, do you have an ID to verify that?”

Shorter freezes in his spot when it dawns on him.

_ Nadia told Dino that Eiji’s name was Shorter.  _

They’re looking for Eiji. 

“I do. Can I go get it?”

“We’d appreciate that. Do hurry.”

Shorter shuts the door, body shaking, and hurries up the stairs. 

“I think they’re looking for you and Eiji—when you guys went to Ash’s place.”

Nadia’s eyes widen—and she shakes her head. “What?”

Shorter rushes to his room, pulling open his dresser drawers and rifling for his wallet.

“They’re looking for a Shorter and a Nadia. They were all surprised when I said that was me—I think they expected Eiji.” He breathes, pulling out his drivers license. “Fuck—should you come out there too?”

“No—because Nadia is my actual fucking name—if that’s his dad he’s gonna recognize me—what did he look like?”

“Two of them—one of them was a bigger guy—blue eyes? Bald on top—“

“Yeah. Okay—I mean—it  _ could _ be him.” She shudders. Shorter presses a hand to the back of her neck. 

“I told em’ I didn't wanna say where you were, and they seemed fine with that. Stay up here—okay? Let’s get our names cleared—they’ll think the people who showed up at his house just  _ happened  _ to—“

Shorter’s interrupted by a rough knock on the door. Nadia grabs his hand, stepping out of his room and into the hall. 

There are flashlights pouring through Nadia’s bedroom window, on the other side of the building.

“We’re gonna get fucking  _ killed.” _ She mutters in shock, before turning to her brother. “Change of plans—I’m gonna go talk to them—“

_ Nope. Not doing this. _

Shorter shakes his head, and hurries downstairs. “Don’t you fucking follow me Nadia.” He hisses behind his shoulder, pleasantly surprised when she creeps out from around the corner and nods. 

_ Okay. Calm down. _

Shorter opens the door again, handing  _ Arthur— _ shit. Should’ve told Nadia his name, his license. They pass it between them for a minute, both older men squinting down at it—as if they’re genuinely surprised he came out of the house with one.

“Well. That’s really you, huh?”

“Yep.” Shorter nods. “That’s my name.”

They study it further, almost uncomfortably so. 

“Wong. Chinese?”

“Yeah. And uh. The whole Chinese restaurant thing. Weird coincidence.”

That’s Ash’s dad, huh? Oh—the rage he’s containing right now. Gotta remind himself not to be rude—he’s got his sister inside. 

“Alright then.” Dino—he guesses, sighs, handing him the ID back. “And how do you know Nadia? Is she your fiancé by any chance?”

“She’s family.” 

Both of them blink in surprise  _ again. _

“Is she here? Or is it just you?”

Arthur puts his foot through the doorway, against the wall to keep him from shutting it.

“Hey—c’mon man. I don’t feel fine sharing that.”

“We’re kind of desperate. We think this couple might’ve taken his kid away.” Arthur grunts, jutting his thumb over towards Dino. “Pretty important. So you have to let us know where we can find her.”

Shorter shudders—and the headlights flash. There’s a shit ton of them—six cars at  _ least _ —he’s got a pocketknife and his sister’s got their gun locked up. He lets his thumb rub his pocket, before freezing.

Nadia’s inside. He  _ can’t  _ let it get to that. He just can’t. 

“She’s inside. I’ll be right back.”

Arthur nods, but doesn’t let him shut the door. Shorter turns on his heel, and rushes up the stairs. Nadia’s stood in the hall—she’s got the pistol in her lap, eyes narrowed. 

“What’s going on?”

“I told them you’d come out—shit—sis—“

“They’re around the whole building, we can’t just run off.” She swallows. “I have to go down there.”

Shorter feels the blood drain from his face, hands shaking—fuck. Nadia touches his shoulder gently, and opens her mouth to say something—before the door behind them creaks open. 

“Nadia?” Sing croaks, voice heavy from sleep. “What’s going on? There are lights in my window.”

Nadia looks at Sing, back at Shorter, and rushes inside his room. 

“I need you to go outside and talk to some people.” She explains, pulling the blanket off his bed, and wrapping him in it. “Don’t answer their questions. Say you’re too tired—Shorter—carry him—“ 

Shorter nods, and reaches down to hold Sing to his chest. He’s in eighth grade—but doesn’t even break five foot. Sing squirms for a second, but wraps his arms around his shoulders. “Wait—what?”

Nadia shakes her head, turns to Shorter.

“Don't let them look at him—just his face. Don’t put him down.”

“Yes mam.” Shorter nods, turning on his heel and rushing down the steps of the restaurant. Sing bounces in his arms, and squeezes his legs around his waist.

“W-what's going on?”

“Shhh.” Shorter replies, nearing the doorway. It’s still slightly ajar from where Arthur pushed it open. He tucks Sing’s face into his neck and opens it fully.

Dino and Arthur both freeze at the sight—genuine confusion on their faces.

“My little sister Nadia. Not in highschool yet—she doesn’t have an ID.”

Sing stiffens—but otherwise doesn’t make a sound. 

_ What the fuck are we doing? _

Arthur mutters something under his breath—and turns to peek at Sing’s face from where he’s pressed against Shorter’s shoulder. Shorter shifts.

“C’mon. It’s late—she’s just a kid. We don’t live in the best area.” Shorter hums, shaking his head. “I don’t like people knowing she’s here with me. It’s not safe.” 

Arthur ignores him—and cranes his neck further.

“You’re Nadia? Nadia Wong?”

Sing blinks, bleary eyed and nods. His heart is pounding against Shorter’s chest.

Shorter shudders. “Seriously, it’s late. She’s freaked out. Pointing shit at her window.”

There’s a moment of silence, crickets chirping. 

“Nobody else lives with you?”

Shorter nods, and shifts from where he’s standing. 

“Just us.”

“Your parents?”

“Just us.”

Sing is warm in his arms—holding his breath.

—————

Ash is in heaven.

They’re tucked into bed together, Eiji rubbing his thumb over his hip, cuddling him. Ash shudders and shifts closer.

“Do not worry, Ash. I am with you.”

Eiji will protect him. Even if he isn’t even capable—Eiji somehow always keeps him safe. Ash shuts his eyes, and exhales against Eiji’s chest. 

“Eiji—don’t let anything bad happen to me.”

Eiji replies the same as always, with a stroke of his thumb.

“I won’t. I will always take care of you.”

Ash shuts his eyes, wraps his arms tighter around his friend. 

“Eiji—Eiji—Eiji—“

“I’m here. I’m here.”

“Eiji—“

“Oh—you sweetheart. You are safe. You are loved.”

_ “Eiji—“ _

“You are safe—“ Eiji strokes his hair, rubbing their noses together. “You are loved—you are wanted, and needed. You are good—and—no, no, don’t look away from me. You are kind, and smart, and strong—“

—————

They never take the car—partly because Shorter and Nadia are terrifying drives, and partly because it’s older than both of them—clearly on its last leg. 

Despite this, Nadia all but barrels out of the parking lot, turning to her brother in the passenger seat.

“Yeah—fuck that!”

_ “Putting his fucking foot in the door like he owns the fucking place!” _

“I shouldn’t have given them our names.” She mutters, before pounding the steering wheel. “Sorry! Fuck! I’m sorry!”

“Doesn’t matter what names you gave them—they fuckin found us anyways—“

Shorter shakes his head, lifting his leg to kick at the dashboard. 

“You think Max is okay?” He mumbles, eyes widening. Nadia nods.

“He lives in a real neighborhood—not a fucking restaurant. They can’t just show up to a residential fucking street like that!”

Sing leans forward from the backseat, pressing his cheek to Nadia’s shoulder.

“Who were they?!”

Neither of them answer, Nadia looking back to merge onto the freeway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this one sucks if you think it made sense please let me know if you dotn think it made sense please don’t tell me I will literally cry


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kid with the mohawk is glaring down at her, and nudges her arm with his shoe. “Get off my sister!”
> 
> Jess blinks up, incredulous. “She’s on me!”
> 
> “No she isn’t!” He stomps, fists clenched like he’s throwing a fit. Jesus fucking Christ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading as always!!  
> Triggers: light violence, guns, and mentions of Club Cod.  
> SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!  
> A very special angel Fatipa made fanart for this fic so please give them love in the comments below and check out all of their amazing work!! Their Instagram is @wendstii and they are so kindhearted and angelic and wonderful!!!

Club Cod, huh?

Yut Lung _actually_ considers reaching out to Hua Lung. That’s the point he’s at tonight. _That’s_ the level of desperation he’s reached for a semblance of comfort. He wants his brother, the _murderer._

Too bad Ash never ended up texting him. Fucking jackass. They could’ve talked. 

Like it’s on cue—his phone screen lights up from on top of the dresser.

It’s three in the fucking morning, Yue kicks the blankets off his body, and rubs his eyes, stumbling towards the light, and picking it up off the table.

Sing: I know you’re still mad at me but people came to my house

Sing: like surrounding the building flashlight type people

—————

Jess rests the shotgun on her shoulder, keeping it pointed squarely at the front door. It’s too early for this—the constant pounding ringing in her ears. Whoever’s on the other side is going fucking nuts—pushing as far as wiggling the handle. She cocks the gun and reaches forward, swinging it open—

And freezes. 

Looking down the barrel—she’s aiming directly at a fucking kid—wide eyed, unstyled mohawk framing his cheekbones. Without a beat, the woman to his right grabs the gun bare-handed, knocking it away from his face, lurching forward, shoving both of them directly into the house. 

“Fuck!” She hisses, straddling her waist—she’s got mussed black hair, fluffy like Eiji’s—and a baby face. Jess let’s the gun slip back—she doesn’t want to accidentally fire it, and listens as it clatters against the hardwood.

Jessica raises her hands in surrender, fighting under the girl’s weight on her chest just to punch out a reply. “Relax—“ she gasps, “We can—we can just talk—“ 

_Just a fucking kid. Early twenties at most._

The girl opens her mouth to say something—but is interrupted by the sound of footsteps rushing down the hall. 

“What the fucks going on?!”

Her head whips up, grip on Jessica’s hands loosening. Not that it was strong enough to keep her from escaping in the first place. “Max?!” 

Max comes closer, Jess calmly peeping up to make out his shadow. “Nadia?!”

Oh. 

“You're Nadia.” Jess sighs, lolling her head back. “I get it now.”

The kid with the mohawk is glaring down at her, and nudges her arm with his shoe. “Get off my sister!”

Jess blinks up, incredulous. “She’s on _me!”_

“No she isn’t!” He stomps, fists clenched like he’s throwing a fit. Jesus fucking Christ. 

Max reaches out a hand and helps Nadia up, who wobbles, but collects herself pretty quickly.

“Damn.” She sighs tiredly, stretching her arms behind her head. Shorter rushes to her side, holding her elbow. Jess takes Max’s hand next, and he pulls her to a stand. 

“Why didn’t you come get me?”

Jess gives him a look, and shrugs, reaching down to grab the shotgun. “I keep forgetting you‘re home.”

The silence stings, Jess awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.

_Went and made him feel guilty again._

Most of the tension is gone—the three kids murmuring to each other from the doorway, pulling the youngest one inside, fixing each other’s clothes and hair. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Jess tuts, turning to Nadia, who is now toeing off her shoes in the hall.  
She looks over to Jess almost casually, licking her lips chapped from the cold. “Dino showed up at the restaurant—looking for Eiji and me.” She pauses. “Sorry about all this—wasn’t sure where to go.” Suddenly all sheepish, shaky even. If that isn’t shitty enough, she’s got two boys with her—both of them looking around the house all unsure.

Jessica’s eyes widen, her and Max both reaching out to fuss over the younger girl. 

“What did he do—?!”

“By himself—?!”

“What did he say to you—?!”

Nadia reaches a hand into her hair, ruffling it a bit. “Shorter dealt with him—two guys but a lot of cars—they surrounded the fuckin’ building.”

“Did they have the cops with them?! Or put their hands on you?!”

Nadia shakes her head, biting her lip, before looking over at her younger cousin, rubbing his eyes.

“Can we sit down?”

Jess crosses her arms, and nods to the kitchen. 

“Yeah. Course.”

Nadia gestures to the two boys, the older one still holding onto her elbow. 

“This is Shorter and Sing.” She pauses, smiling almost apologetically. “Your name is Jessica, right?”

“Yeah.” Jess sighs, rubbing her temple. “Are you guys spending the night?”

Nadia doesn’t reply, and Shorter seems to be following her lead, both of them dead silent in the soft hallway light.

Max sighs, and guides the youngest one into the kitchen by the arm, Jess turning to follow him, listening to the soft padding of the other two kids behind her.  
“Sing probably needs to lay down.” Nadia yawns, grabbing the bottom of Jessica’s sleeve. “Shorter likes tea. Do you have tea?”

——————

“Why didn’t Max get the door?”

Jess huffs out a laugh, and presses between Nadia’s shoulders to urge her to drink. “I’ve been sleeping on the couch. Didn’t think to go upstairs and wake him.”

Nadia and Shorter share a mirrored look, covering their mouths with their hands. The childish amusement is a little refreshing right now. When she turns around she can hear them whispering frantically to each other, a string of hushed laughter. 

_“Oh my god—what do you think he did?!”_

_“Bet it’s his fault—“_

She bites her lip, lifting the kettle off the burner. It’s sweet.

“Anyways—“ Jess smiles tiredly, “I’m guessing Dino is freaked out—Ash disappearing the second two ‘foreigners’ show up to his place. He might be worried about getting busted.” She turns, and Shorter is slumped with his cheek against the table. 

“We just gotta keep Eiji and You, Nadia, away from him, and we should be okay for a while.”

Max paces through the kitchen, cutting past the three of them to bring Sing a blanket in the living room. He deposits it on the couch, and Nadia peeps up at him. 

“So—what are you planning on doing with Ash?”

Max sighs, and pulls out the chair across from her.

“See—we’d like to take him in legally—but we don’t even know where his official guardian is—I mean, it _could_ be Dino for all we know.”

“He says he’s got a dad out there.” Jess adds. “But he’s pretty secretive. Makes it kind of hard to take action.”

The conversation fizzles out, Shorter and Nadia slipping to Cantonese, eyeing Max and Jessica nervously. They seem a little conflicted about something—awkward, nervous even. Nadia clears her throat.

“I don’t have any cash on me right now. But can the two of them stay inside for the night?” she asks, pointing to her brother, nodding towards Sing. 

“Course.” Max shrugs. “All three of you can. We don’t care.”

They side eye each other, before Nadia nods. 

“How much do I owe you?”

———————

Ash stretches his arms above his head, his back popping comfortably against the mattress. Eiji is still delightfully wrapped around him, making the blonde flush. He detangles himself from the other boys’ hold however, and slips down onto the carpet. 

Silently moving into the hallway—Ash stops dead in his tracks, nearly bumping into Max. Who is home—on a weekday?

“Hey kiddo.” He starts, ruffling the blonde’s already mussed hair. “Can I talk to you?”  
  



	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have an old friend buried nearby Ash’s place. Might as well stop.”
> 
> Maybe it’s the same place Griff was buried. Ash thinks, nodding along. It’d be nice to bring him flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO I LOVE YOH ALL SO MUCH THANK TOU FOR STICKING AROHND!!! 
> 
> Triggers: mentions of death, sexual assault, weight

_ Don’t push—he might freak out.  _

Jessica has always been better at these things. 

“Does your dad live in New York?”

The blonde looks down at his nails—as if he has to calculate his answer to a simple question. 

“Why? Where are  _ you  _ from?”

Ash isn’t deflecting him to be malicious—even if he tacks on the glare for good measure. He’s scared. He doesn’t need someone to wring him for answers.

“California.” Max smiles, nodding to him. “You?”

Ash swallows, thoughtfully. “Massachusetts.”

They’re sitting in Jess and Max’s room, which is  _ just _ Max’s room at this point, Ash curled up on the dresser chair and eyeing him with trepidation.

“That’s not too far.” Max tries, and Ash makes a face that’s a little crossed with fear. “Ever think about going back?”

Ash immediately jolts, clenching his teeth. 

“You can’t make me. Don’t try to make me.”

He’s seething in anger, but he’s just scared. He’s frightened, and he’s probably been fucked over enough times to last the rest of his life. 

“Hey—I’m never gonna make you do anything.”

Ash doesn’t believe him—Max can tell that much. 

_ But I bet he wants to. _

“So—I’m guessing you ran away then?”

Ash nods, and he’s staring at the doorway. Max had gone and shut it when they walked in.

“Want me to open the door?”

“I ran away when I was eight.”

Ash was eight. Almost ten years of— _ this _ —

_ Michael is turning eight. _

“Why’d you run away? Did your dad—“

Ash suddenly leans forward, white knuckling the chair. 

“I’m really sorry for dragging you into all this. Thank you for letting me work for you and giving me a place to stay. If you could let me spend the night for another week or so? I should have enough money by then to get out of—“

Max raises a hand out towards Ash—stopping him in the middle of his sentence.

“I’m not asking you to leave. Do you think this is what this is?”

Ash’s eyes dart around the room, fidgeting. Poor thing's mind is probably racing right now.

“It’s—not?”

Max sighs from where he’s sat on the bed. 

“Of course it’s not. I’m asking about your dad because we need your birth certificate and shit. Your social—“

“Are you serious?”

Max pauses at that, because Ash’s hands are clasped together against his lap now, and he’s trembling, eyes wide. He looks far off, and thoughtful, and he buries his face in his hands, eyes peeping out from between his fingers. “Sorry Max—I just—wasn’t expecting that.”

“What  _ did _ you expect?”

Ash doesn’t reply for a beat, just looks at Max, and then at the chair, and then at the wall, before pressing his palm to Jessica’s dresser, and standing. He walks over towards the mattress, and hesitantly glances down at the empty spot next to Max. 

“You can sit.”

Ash eases himself down, and looks at his lap.  
“I um—was thinking about how hard it would be to find that stuff. I didn’t know you’d help.”

Max sighs  _ again,  _ poor boy’s standards are on the ground. Basic help, respect—Jess has been raising Michael to  _ demand  _ that shit. Ash shouldn’t be thanking  _ anybody. _

“Sweetheart—of  _ course  _ we’re going to help you, yeah?”

That seems to make him happy, because Ash hugs himself from the spot to his right, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He bites his lip, and furrows his brow. 

Max can practically  _ see  _ the burst of energy radiating off of the kid—

“Sorry.” Ash prefaces, before leaning forward, and wrapping his arms around Max’s neck.

It’s hesitant and featherlight, Ash only exhaling and relaxing after Max wraps his arms around him in return. 

When Max presses a hand to the back of his head—he just  _ melts,  _ his shirt getting warm with tears. His heart is pounding against Max’s fingers from where he’s touching his shoulder blades. 

His breathing is steadying out, going from little puffs of air to heavy inhales and exhales. He can  _ feel  _ Ash’s face contort from a smile to a frown—back and forth against his collar, almost like he doesn’t know how to feel.

“Thank you, thank you, Max you have no idea—you have no idea—thank you so much, thank you—“

“Nope! Thank  _ you  _ for letting us help.”

Ash makes a noise at that, off guard and small, and squeezes him tighter.

“This—all of this—“ Ash exhales, voice wet. “I’ll repay you. I will.”

Ash barely eats—walks around the house on his tiptoes, goes hours without asking for a cup of water—

“You are  _ so  _ sweet. But you don’t owe anyone anything _.” _

Ash swallows, a shudder passing through his frame. Now that he’s in Max’s arms again—he’s  _ skinnier _ than the last time they hugged.

“My hometown—I’m kinda known over there. I—I messed up. Really badly.” Ash murmurs, pulling back to look at his face. He looks nervous, unsure. 

_ Must’ve been working himself up to say that.  _

Max pats his back, and Ash lets out a content little noise, ducking his head back into his shoulder. He rests it like a dead weight, lolling his cheek against Max’s shirt. Similar to Michael, whining after a bad day, limp against his dad’s embrace. 

  
“It’s okay Ash. Whatever happened is alright. Want me to go over there by myself?”

Ash sighs, and suddenly his face feels warm, probably a little bit of shame.

“No. It’ll just make things worse. You’re probably already in enough trouble because of me.”

Max pulls back to pinch Ash’s flushed cheek, soft despite his thin frame.

“Prison is nothing on me, kiddo. Easiest six months of my life.” Max grins, teasingly. Ash’s eyes widen, and he gently covers his mouth with his hand. 

“I thought Jess was exaggerating....”

_ Exact reaction I was looking for! _

“Yeah.” Max shrugs, brushing Ash’s hair back a bit. “I was in there beating someone’s ass. And I’ll do it again. I don’t care.”

Ash just looks at him, wide eyed, his expression unreadable. His heartbeat is slowing down, nose pointing towards his lap, and he  _ laughs.  _

It’s a soft, quiet sound, barely even there.

“What?” Max grins, trying to tilt his chin up. Ash has a sweet smile. “You think I’m joking?”

Ash just giggles at that, hiding his mouth behind his hand, easily winning over Max’s deepest affections in the simple movement. 

Yeah—yeah, Max is definitely going to make sure nothing bad happens to him ever again. ———————

Ash blinks at himself in the mirror, rubbing his face with a towel. It’s not all red and blotchy anymore which is good. He’s still embarrassed about how he was with Eiji last night—whining in his arms like a kid. Ugh. Eiji probably thinks he’s all lame now—

Except maybe Eiji wouldn’t judge him like that. 

Ash opens the door to the bathroom, and starts heading downstairs. Jessica’s socks are soft on the carpet, and the living room is oddly quiet. 

He turns the corner, and Nadia is curled up on the carpet, almost tripping him in the process.   
_what the hell?!_  


Ash eyes Shorter on the couch, curled up himself, and goes to sit next to him, trying to be quiet.   
“Shorter—“ Ash whispers, brushing his shoulder. “Hey—“

Shorter murmurs something, but then blinks up at him, all sleepy, and smiles, before dropping himself into Ash’s lap.

“What are you guys doing here?” Ash whispers, twirling a piece of bleached hair around his finger. It’s soft when it’s unstyled. 

Shorter pauses for a moment, eyes darting around, before leaning into Ash’s ministrations. “Um—some neighborhood gang stuff happened out front and—Sing got scared.”

Ash pauses, brushing a little more hair out of Shorter’s face. “Oh, shit. Are you okay?”

Shorter nods, but clings to Ash a little bit. “Yeah—just—freaked out is all.”

“Shh—“ Ash tries, twining their fingers together. S'alright.” 

_ Thought it might be something to do with me.  _ Ash thinks, squeezing his eyes shut.  _ Thank god—thank god it’s not. Unless— _

No.

_ Shorter wouldn’t lie. _

Ash sits a minute, the breathing in the room winding him down. It’s gonna be alright. He can go get his things from Cape, and get out of here before Max finds out what he’s done.  _ That he’s housing a murderer.  _ He can do this.

————

Jessica piles some of her own clothes into a bag, handing it to Ash. “I know Max is trying to make it a day trip—but just in case.” 

“Thanks.” Ash nods. Max is talking to Nadia in the living room, so he peeks around the corner to listen.

“It should be safe to go home—but you call Jess if anything happens, yeah?”

Nadia is holding Sing by the nape, and nodding fervently. “If—if something  _ happens— _ if uh—“

“What is it?”

Nadia lowers her voice, almost a whisper.

“Someone asks where you are, what do you want me to say?”

Max ruffles her hair, and shrugs.

“Don’t lie for me. Just don’t tell the whole truth. All you know is that I’m visiting a grave up there.” Max juts his thumb. “Which is true. I have an old friend buried nearby Ash’s place. Might as well stop.”

_ Maybe it’s the same place Griff was buried. _ Ash thinks, nodding along.  _ It’d be nice to bring him flowers. _

Nadia visibly exhales, and grabs her car keys from the table in the living room. “You got it.”

—————

Eiji can feel Ash’s hand brush his in the backyard, the two of them watching Michael tumble over himself in the grass. Eiji feels a little bold after last night, and reaches up his arm, turning to Ash.

“Remember what I told you.” He breathes, stroking the side of Ash’s face. “And don’t hesitate to call me.”

Ash flushes adorably under his fingers and nods. “Thank you Eiji.”

Eiji opens his mouth to say more, but pauses—looking down at his cell. 

“One moment, it’s Ibe-san.”

——————

“I told him it was just gang shit—don’t say anything about it, yeah?”

Nadia nods, turning the keys again, and the car lets out another sputter. “Of course you told him that. And try again.”

Shorter peeks his head up from over the hood of the car, and pouts. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

”Hey—Shorter?” 

Shorter whips his head around, to be met with a wide eyed Eiji, biting his lip all nervous. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure. Yeah.” Shorter nods, turning back to Nadia. “Gimme a minute sis.”

She scowls at him, but rolls her eyes, turning the keys again. Shorter presses a hand between Eiji’s shoulder blades, and guides him out towards the street. A little privacy seems to be in order. 

“Something happen Eiji?”

Eiji cringes, and rubs his temple, bouncing on his heels, before speaking through chattering teeth.

“Listen—“ He starts, eyes darting around. “Someone came looking for me last night—not by name—but—cause I am listed as an international student—Ibe says he thinks they saw everyone who came from out of the country. Might have seen my photo even.”

Shorter’s eyes widen, and he drops his voice to a whisper. 

“Shit Eiji—I mean?”

“I don’t know what to do.” Eiji swallows—and he’s looking at Shorter with just enough worry to tighten his chest. “I do not want to leave the country. But I do not want to be a—a  _ problem _ . If you understand what I mean.”

There’s a beat of silence, the early morning birds feathering around the house. Eiji can feel his heartbeat in his mouth, when Nadia finally starts the car, both their heads whipping towards the noise in the driveway.

The birds up and leave at the sound, off into the sky. Eiji presses a hand to his forehead, cold sweat lingering. He feels a gentle touch against his pointer, Shorter’s calloused grip gentle on his palms. 

“If you come back to the restaurant with me—“ Shorter pauses, clasping one of Eiji’s hands between his own. “I’ll keep an eye on you.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flowers are bundled against his chest in the sun, picturesque and flowing, wind making his bangs tickle his face a bit. 
> 
> Max slaps a hand over his mouth, and shakes his head. 
> 
> “You’re fucking with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: police, and situations with police searches. Implied and referenced CP. death and grieving.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do this. But I need an alibi since I’m the only other person who could have a key to his desk. When they find out someone got in there—everything’s gonna shut down. You got that?” 

_ This is a really bad idea.  _

“Yue—“

“What? Do I need to repeat myself?”

Sing flushes, and bites his lip. Oh—Nadia’s gonna rip his ear off if he gets caught.

“I told you to get inside. Plus, I’ve got the worse job. Showing up at Hua Lung’s place.” Yut Lung punctuates, pointing towards the open vent. The grate is sat on the cold, wet grass. Stars shining in the night above. It’s going to rain. Sing kneels down towards the opening, and he’s obviously going to fit, cursing his smaller stature for the millionth time. 

“I—are you sure?”

Yue laughs quietly in the dark, eyes sparkling, and Sing presses his palm into the midnight dew, dipping his head inside the building. 

“This isn’t just for fun—of course I’m sure.” Yut Lung pauses, crossing his arms. “Plus—this is for  _ your _ sake too. He gets to Nadia and who’s going to feed you? Huh?”

Sing snaps his head up, teeth clenched. 

“Keep her name outta your mouth if you’re gonna talk like that.”

Yue looks sad for a split second, shaking his head. “Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”  _ He doesn’t mean it. Been through a lot, can’t watch his mouth like he should.  _

Sing scoots forward, knees against the metal walls of the crawl space, and kicks off his sneakers, knocking them towards Yue. Rich people have the cleanest fucking carpets—Shorter taught him that from when he got caught breaking into a hotel. Plus, Sing is quieter without them anyways.

——————

Ash taps the screen of his phone—they’ve been on the road for about three hours now, so the service is shit. 

“What? You don’t wanna talk to me kiddo?”

Ash quirks an eyebrow, and exhales. 

“Talk about what?”

Max reaches over to nudge his shoulder. “I dunno. We can play I-spy.”

“Ew.”

“Oh come on! You slept more than half the ride! Talk to me!”

He did sleep for more than half the ride. Which is weird. He doesn’t like sleeping in front of other people. It’s all vulnerable—and he has nightmares sometimes which is a little embarrassing—

Max laughs, before looking over his shoulder, and hitting his turn signal. 

“You’re so quiet.”

_ Most people like me that way.  _

Ash doesn’t reply, just fidgets with his hands in his lap. When he finishes blinking all bleary from his sleep—he glances out the window—

And  _ oh— _

This is where Griff is buried. 

“I know someone— here.” Ash jolts, pointing out the window. “I—I know—I know someone—“

Max parks the car against the curb, and opens the front door, nodding towards the arched gates of the cemetery. 

“You wanna pay them a visit kiddo?”

“Yes. Yes—I—“ Ash doesn’t have anything. Max stopped to buy flowers—but Ash didn’t have any money so he didn’t ask for some for himself. Plus he didn’t even  _ know  _ what cemetery they were going to go through.  _ I’m sorry, Griff.  _

Max seems to read his mind, and pulls out the bundle of sunflowers from the back. 

“You wanna use these?”

Ash reaches out his hands shakily—nodding. 

“Sorry—if that’s okay?” 

“Course. My friend—he would’ve wanted someone else to have em.”

_ Griffin would’ve wanted somebody else to have them too.  _ Ash thinks, clutching the bouquet in his hands.  _ But he’s gone now—and I don’t think anyone’s ever brought him flowers before.  _

Ash stretches his legs when he gets out of the car, shoulders popping, and walks out towards the cemetery, arch above his head, but a little shorter than the first and last time he came here. One last goodbye to his brother before he ran off.

——————

_ Sing had looked out into the Glenreed’s backyard, a pit growing in his stomach. Yue’s voice was a whisper, and he had to press his cell close to his ear just to make out the words. _

_ “Listen—Golzine is really good—friends—with my family. He and Wang Lung are business partners.” _

_ “Yue—“ _

_ “And he’s not showing up at your place. He’s not showing up at mine—or anyone else’s. I’m not doing this anymore.” _

_ Sing swallowed, fists clenched at his side.  _

_ “Why—“ _

Yue’s voice echoes in his mind, and Sing can see his exhausted expression when he shuts his eyes. 

_ “There are a lot of things I’m never gonna tell you—so whatever comes out—don’t ask.” _

His feet hit the carpet—a little too loud. But not loud enough to be a concern. Nadia always said he was an agile little thing—what room did Sing say to go to again? Wang Lung’s office—Last one to the left, top floor. Sing takes in the surrounding area, and it’s hands down the nicest place he’s ever stepped foot in. Clean, detailed wallpaper, white carpet and a huge fucking bed—

There’s a camera in the corner of the room, but Yue said that the ones on the first floor were always off anyways. Something about clients and their privacy. 

Sing shakes his head, he can think about all the things his friend alluded to once he gets his ass out of here.

He kneels down a bit, creeping past the vanity and over towards the door. There’s women’s jewelry on the counter—and he’s itching to steal some for Nadia—but she won’t like that. She hates horrible things, places like these. 

Pressing his hand against the golden knob, Sing leans forward, and listens to the door freak gently under his weight. The floor in the hallway is marble, not like the bedroom, and there’s a stairwell a few yards down. Why is this place so fucking big? Chang Dai is as big as the front entrance alone—and their max capacity is in the hundreds!

Sing looks towards his left, and there’s a fucking elevator— _ score— _ but—

There might be a camera inside. He’s taking the stairs.

Sing’s hand stays glued to the wall as he makes his way down the hall. He feels open and exposed out here—the further he gets from the doorway. Shit—did he leave prints on the handle? Sing rips his hands from the wall like they’re burnt—and retraces his steps, smudging his trail with his sleeve. Do prints show up on wallpaper? Maybe? Rich people are crazy. They probably have their ways. He wipes off the doorknob with his sleeve, and starts again. The stairwell is fucking huge—wider than anything he’s ever known before, and he makes a point not to curl up against the edges, despite being out where he could get caught. 

He hesitantly makes it to the top, and looks back and forth before taking the left. 

It’s a long way down, and there are murmured voices coming from what sounds like the third door—but when he inches closer it’s actually the second one. 

He squeezes the key in his pocket, rubbing his fingers against the little golden teeth, and exhales.  _ Yue said it should work.  _

The hallway is clear—and Sing darts past the occupied room, holding his breath. He’s gotta make this fast—he’s got to. 

_ Top floor—last one on the? Left? It’s left right? Don’t second guess yourself. _

Sing hears the door behind him creak open, and slips into the room on the left, heart pounding out of his chest. The murmured laughter is drifting about the mansion—but way too close to the room he’s in. 

Focus. There’s the desk. Yue said the cabinet underneath had some envelopes—a few cd’s. Told him to grab everything he could carry, and to not look at what’s inside.

——————

The ground beneath Ash’s shoes softens, dirt soft from all the tears. The footsteps behind him are getting more and more annoying, the deeper he treks into the cemetery. Ash turns around, and sighs. 

“You don’t have to follow me Max. I can deal with this myself.”

Max is watching him intently, eyebrows drawn together a bit. Just enough for Ash to notice. 

“Not following you buddy.”

Ash groans, and squeezes the flowers to his chest. Griff is just a few aisles away, smaller headstone with nothing but his name and the date. Jim didn’t buy a nice one—and if Ash recalls correctly, Griff was only buried because one of his old army buddies paid for it. 

Ash turns to Max, and softens. Griff would’ve liked him—he liked honesty. He liked kindness. 

“Max—my brother’s buried here—“ Ash confesses, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. The flowers are bundled against his chest in the sun, picturesque and flowing, wind making his bangs tickle his face a bit. 

Max slaps a hand over his mouth, and shakes his head. 

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Huh?”

“You’re Griff’s brother?!”

Ash’s eyes widen, but before he can respond, Max rushes forward and slaps him on the shoulder, so hard and excited that Ash tumbles forward, just for Max to catch him again, and hold him up by his arm.

“Why didn’t you say your name was Aslan?!”

Ash feels lightheaded—what the  _ fuck?! _

“What?! How do you know Griff?!”

“We were—we were best friends! From the military?! Aslan!” Max grins, holding Ash by the shoulders now. His grip is so tight Ash’s shoulders creak, and for some reason Ash’s eyes are welling up with tears.

“Why didn’t you ask what my name was?!” Ash glares, stomping his foot. “Eiji said he told you my last name!”

“Eiji’s got a fuckin’ accent! I was too fucking dumb to ask!” Max pauses, grabbing Ash’s hand. “Did Griff talk about me?! Wait—he died before coming home, duh—oh! He talked about  _ you!  _ Aslan!”

Max grabs his face, pushing all his hair back and squeezing his cheeks. “You look like him, now that I think of it! You’ve got the meanest little face though—“ Ash squirms, swatting his hands away—“ugh—knock it off!”

“Lemme look at you son!”

Ash freezes at the name, and lets Max have a see at his face, tilting and turning his head. He looks crazy emotional, eyes wide and soft—thumbing under Ash’s lower lash line. 

“Are you still scared of pumpkins?”

Ash feels his face heat, and Max laughs, leaning forward, and kissing his forehead. He wraps an arm around Ash’s shoulder, and nods to the grave.

“Put the flowers down, son. You can say something to Griff if you want.”

Ash feels dazed by the onslaught of emotions, and chokes out a sob, brushing his forehead with his freehand, and leaning down to lay the flowers to rest.

———————

Sing stuffs a ton of the envelopes into his waistband, and they’re making him walk all stiff. If he zips his jacket up he should be okay, it should hold them in place. He shuts the drawer and locks it back up, before creeping towards the exit—and—

They’re right outside. The shadow of two legs peeking out into the light. Faint whispers echo through the room, and his heart stops. 

_ “Is someone in there?” _

Sing lunges forward and turns the lock, before screeching back to the desk, and cleaning the mess he made. The handle jiggles roughly, and he whips his head towards the noise. 

“Open the fucking door!”

There’s nowhere to go. There is literally nowhere to go. His eyes dart around the room—no vents or anything of the sort—just a window, but he’s on the second story, and—

There’s a deep  _ thud,  _ the hinges of the door splintering, and Sing reaches his fingers under the pane, and opens the window.

It’s a long fucking fall—but he’s probably better off dead if he gets caught. He swings his legs over the opening, and as gently as possible—drops himself down. The wind rushes in his ears and he cringes, teeth clenched and eyes screwed shut. 

He forgets to bend his knees, and the force on his ankles knocks the breath right from his body, collapsing to the ground. Sing curls in on himself in the grass—warm rain coating his face. He groans, and lifts himself to a sitting position, before limping out towards the backyard, aiming for the road. Tears spring at the corners of his eyes—and he squeezes them shut once again, bracing himself against one of the few trees in the greenbelt. He looks down at his legs, and they’re both shaking, unbearably hot. His mind is so laced with panic that he considers asking Shorter to carry him. Fuck. Snap out of it. How long has he been standing here? There are police sirens. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—

——————

“Max—“ Ash breathes, pulling on the door to Jim’s diner. “Whatever you find out right now—just know I’m different. I’m not like that anymore.”

Max gives Ash a scolding look, and pokes a finger between his eyebrows. His other hand is intertwined with the blonde’s, absolutely ecstatic at the new revelation, and squeezes his fingers. 

“Aslan. I’ve been trying to come up with guesses about this big terrible thing you did the entire drive here—at the ripe age of eight may I add—and I couldn’t think of one thing that wasn’t forgivable. So knock it off with all that. I’d bet anything I’m not gonna give a shit.”

Ash swallows, and squeezes his hand back. Griff trusted Max enough to tell him about Ash—so—so Ash can trust Max too. 

“Okay, Max.” Ash breathes, nodding towards the door. Max smiles at him, and leads him inside, the bell above the door ringing against the frame.

“Atta boy. Stop acting like you killed somebody and forgive yourself, okay?”

Ash feels all the blood rush from his face, and walks further into the restaurant. 

——————

Sing is stumbling down the street at this point, and he’s about to give out. Hot tears run down his face as he takes his collection out from his waistband and from under his shirt, shoving everything into the biggest folder. He’s gotta hide it. And it has to be somewhere dry. 

_ somewhere. C’mon. anywhere. _

He rips his jacket off, tying them all together, and shoves the bundle into the little blue mailbox on the curb, regretting it immediately. That was fucking dumb. He rips out his phone, and moves to text Yue, slipping into the nearby alley. Where the  _ fuck _ is he? There are still sirens out though—looking for anyone—looking for him. 

Sing: I’m sendjng picyure of wheee I put the stuff come get it 

Shit—he left the grate undone in the bedroom he came in from. Yue closed the outside one behind him right? And grabbed his shoes? And got rid of their footprints? Of course he did. He probably did. 

Sing  _ prays  _ that he did.

There’s footsteps rushing towards him, and Sing turns the corner back out towards the street, and there’s more cops over here—and—

His vision is blurring—and he’s on the ground, hot warm weight on his back. His cheek is smushed against the wet asphalt, and someone’s talking to him, but—ah—what? Oh. He’s going to go to jail probably. Or maybe he just fell? No, Sing reaches out towards the gutter by his face, and drops his phone down into it. It barely makes a sound, because of the soft splashing of the rainwater flowing down the street. Good. That’s gone. He can’t move his hands, and it’s so fucking loud! 

_ Nadia Nadia Nadia Nadia Nadia— _

The lights are giving Sing a headache, blue and red behind his eyes. Do they have to keep them flashing when he’s already in the back of the car? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I’m about to go crazy. First of all, thank you all for your unconditional kindness in reading and responding to this fic. I have literally never felt so much love and it’s literally overwhelming because I feel like I can’t do anything to repay you guys. Like oh my gosh? You all have so much good and warmth in your hearts to say such kind things and to interact so much with a literal stranger (even though we are all friends here) and I want you to know that. Like—I post this because of all of you and I am left so speechless all the time. Anyways shoutout to my friends Taylor and Olivia for always commenting and texting me the moment I post and just listening to me hyperfixate on random stuff throughout their days, you guys KEEP ME GOING AND I CANT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. Also Fin (stillnotoverbananafish) who always comments and has been here since what? You and me from the night before? Dude? Thank you? Chaos101 for obvious reasons because I am his #1 fan and also because for some reason he takes time out of his day to comment and care about my writing, angelic behavior. My friend Aledis who leaves mile long comments and just shows unwavering support. I opened the email for their comment on my last chapter at work and dropped my phone. Making my days! Also I keep seeing my fic recommended on Tik Tok and if you make tik toks about welter I HAVE LITERALLY SEEN THEM AND I LOVE YOU!!! Also ice_cold_beauty my good friend leaves the most supportive messages. Drumroll... FATIPA MADE ACTUAL ART FOR THIS MF!!! LIKE HUH???? What did I do? To deserve? I think about this and freak out? Also eluvion and oofen_flugen, signpainter1 always writing the sweetest comments I know I can take a while to respond but I see you! And I care! And I love you!   
> Anyways if I didn’t mention you here it’s literally because I ran out of room I have like 10 other names listed that will be acknowledged and thanked in the next chapter notes so do not feel sad I love you and thank you again. For everything. Okay I’m done being crazy


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Go Eiji—I don’t think we were allowed to take him just yet—fuck!” 
> 
> Eiji is almost panting at this point, careening out of the lot and out into the street.
> 
> Sing suddenly starts sobbing, burying himself into Shorter’s shoulder, who just holds him. 
> 
> “What’d you do. You kill someone?” He pauses, and he’s so calm it’s almost scary. “What’s going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> triggers: cops, holding, mentions of jail, intimidation, mentions of cp, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, gun violence, physical violence.   
> Oh. And Jim Callenreese

“He’s refusing to give even his name—let alone his fuckin’ parents.”

Sing shuts his eyes, hands clasped in his lap from where he’s sitting. They ask him to call his parents one more time and he’s gonna throw some shit. 

_ Nadia can’t be seeing me like this. _

The cop is standing at the doorway, one hand on the handle while he leans forward into the office. He shuts it, and turns back to Sing. 

“You’re in big for breaking into Wang Lung’s place. You oughta tell us what you took.”

Sing is still dizzy, but musters himself up enough to shrug. Deny deny deny.

The cop leaves the room  _ again,  _ and Sing swings his legs and sighs. He’s still got no shoes—it’s kind of funny. Except there’s blood all over his socks, and he really wants to see someone he knows right now. 

_ I messed up so fuckin’ bad. _

It’s gotta be two in the morning, and he’s still all cooped up in this room. Someone else comes in this time, another guy, and he taps the table with his knuckle hard and fast. 

“You have twenty minutes left if you want to make a phone call.”

He can’t. He literally can’t. Not gonna bring Shorter and Nadia into this shit. 

“We need to know your parents' names. You’re still a minor, so we are going to hold you here until you have them come down.” 

Sing doesn’t say anything, just white knuckles his jeans and wrinkles his nose.

The chair across from him scoots harshly across the floor, making him flinch. They already went a little rough on him—and he knows he’s little. Sing keeps his eyes trained down, and before the door slams shut, the guy turns to him, scratching at the door like a fuckin’ animal.

“With what you pulled tonight, you’ll be safer locked up.”

——————

The diner is warm, not like the people inside, and the smell of the window heater brings back memories Ash can’t exactly categorize as good or bad. 

“You ready?” Max murmurs, squeezing Ash’s hand from right in front of the doorway. Ash nods. Whatever happens right now—it’s probably gonna fuck him up forever. 

_ You do what you have to.  _

The second the door shuts, the bell above the walkway jingles, and Ash can see Jennifer’s head peeking out from the window to round the corner and greet them. She opens the employee door, and immediately drops her hands to her sides. 

“Ash—“

“Hi.” Ash nods, stepping forward towards the counter. “Is Jim here?”

Jennifer nods, and looks up at Max quizzically. He brings out his freehand, and takes hers in his grasp, the shake a little harsh. 

“Nice to meet you. My name is Max.”

“Ah-“ Jennifer breathes, “Nice to meet you. Jennifer.” 

There’s a beat, and it’s a little awkward. Ash almost laughs, Jen probably thinks Max is his boyfriend or something. How fucking funny. She turns on her heel, and hops back out towards the kitchen, head craned inside the employee entrance. 

“Jim? Honey?”

_ Here we go. _

Jim looks exactly the same, just a little older. He weighs exactly the same which is cool—guess his son going missing didn't affect his appetite in the slightest.  _ Great.  _

Ash meets his dad’s eyes the moment he walks through the door, and smiles. “Hey old man. You miss me?”

Jim’s eyes widen, before he clenches his fists at his sides. “What? You think this is a fucking love hotel or something?” 

Ash laughs, amused, and pretends to pout. 

“Aww. I don’t even get a hug?”

Jim shakes his head, backing away from Ash like he’s filthy—which he  _ is.  _

“How’d you even get all the way back here? You a lot lizard now?”

“I’m a movie star, actually. But don’t go looking for my stuff—I’ll be all embarrassed cause’ you’re my dad.”

“You’re a fucking whore, is what you are.”

Max takes a step forward, dropping Ash’s hand. He looks dazed, all the blood draining from his face. 

“I better be fuckin’ hearing things—is that any way to talk to your son?!”

Jim grunts, shrugging his shoulders. “My son’s dead. This floozy crawled outta hell.”

Ash laughs, head tilted back, and hands jammed in his pockets. That was pretty clever.

Max takes another step forward, curling his fists so hard his knuckles are white. “Don’t you  _ dare—!”  _

“What? You his boyfriend or something?” 

Max looks  _ scandalized— _ which is pretty funny. Ash forgets that there are guys with morals out there. 

“The kids fucking seventeen!”

“Never stopped anyone before.”

“I’ll beat the  _ life _ out of you.”

Jim reaches for the pistol in his waistband, narrowing his eyes.

“I’ll shoot you if you try any of that shit. I’m not as trigger happy as Ash here—blowing that poor man’s head off—“

Ash reaches out a hand, voice wavering—“dad—“

Jim doesn’t meet his eyes, but Max whips his head around. 

“Don’t call me that shit.”

“Yeah honey?”

Ash swallows, fingers trembling, and bites his lip.

“I want to go. I want to get my stuff and go.”

“Okay.” Max nods, backing away from Jim. “We can do that.”

“You’re here for the keys?” Jim sighs, reaching into his pocket, and slamming them on the counter. “Thank fuckin’ god. Leave the second you’re done.”

Ash whisks them up from the countertop, and turns on his heel to walk out the door. He’s not here to watch a couple of grown men argue over him—he could just stand on a street corner if he wanted that. He shoves the entrance back open, and stumbles down the steps of the patio, Max a few paces behind him.

“Aslan—“

Ash whips his head around, white knuckling the keys, biting back tears. 

“What?!”

“You—ah—“ Max pauses, he’s pale, and he’s reaching out to press a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “We’ll—we’ll talk later honey. Don’t worry about it, okay?” 

Ash just gasps, and swats his hand away, shaking his head. He’s gotta go back to his and Griff’s place now—and then everything will be alright. 

_ You always fucking tell yourself that—and it never is. _

Ash stomps forward, putting as much space between him and the older man as possible. It hurts. That’s all. 

“Deep breaths Aslan—“ Max calls from behind him, as if Ash didn’t teach himself how not to hyperventilate at the ripe age of eleven. He turns around, teeth clenched and hair bright against the evening sky.

“Shut the  _ fuck  _ up! You have  _ no _ idea what life is like for me!”

“I know.” Max nods. “But I love you.”

Cape Cod isn’t all a nightmare.

——————

“Kid. Sing. Wake up.”

_ I never gave them my name— _

Sing flings his head up so fast it gives him whiplash of sorts—fuck! Blinking all bleary eyed, he’s nose to nose with—

God fucking damnnit. 

“I’m not your friend, Charlie.” He grunts, kicking the leg of the table. There’s a little spot from where he was laying—cause of the blood on his face. He doesn’t try to wipe it off. Fuck Charlie.

“Hey—shhh.” Charlie murmurs, getting down on one of his knees. “Buddy—I’m gonna try and help you, okay?”

Sing wiggles in his seat, before shaking his head. “I’m not getting you a date with Nadia if that’s what—“

Charlie shakes his head  _ again, _ bringing a finger to his lips. He looks Sing in the eye, and whispers. 

“There’s something going down—whatever you took—Sing, we’ve got guys offering us millions to get it back.”

“What?”

“Yeah—we got calls from the Lee’s, Golzine residence—fuckin’ Foxx from across the country.” He pauses, worrying his lip between his teeth. “Nobody here knows I know ya—I mean, it wasn’t actually you, was it Sing?”

Sing leans forward, dropping his voice to a whisper himself. 

“I’m not confessing.”

Charlie shakes his head  _ again,  _ and runs a hand down his face. 

“We can’t find the missing stuff either—and they won’t tell us what it is.” He groans and stands up, pressing his palm to the table. Sing’s feeling claustrophobic and cold—won’t even bring him a coat. Charlie looks down at his own hand, and talks, like he’s saying everything to himself.

“They think this Japanese guy on an education work visa is responsible for it—Golzine had us pull up his passport earlier this week—said to keep an eye out, that he’s trying to ‘stir up political shit’.” Charlie pauses. “But I’m not so sure that’s what Golzine’s scared of.”

_ I gotta get out of here. S’Eiji. _

Sing stands up, wincing at the pressure on his ankles, and flops back down. “I can’t stay here, Charlie.” He murmurs. He’s gotta talk to Yue—gotta fix his fuck up—

And he has to see his Nadia—his Shorter. 

“You’re right. You can’t stay here. Some of the biggest names in the city want your head.” 

Sing shudders, and buries his face in his hands.

“That’s why I called Shorter—told him you’re in holding” Charlie murmurs, hand on the doorknob. “And that if he comes right now—I can get you out of here.”

——————

Eiji white knuckles the wheel, squinting in the dark. Shorter’s babbling next to him, all incoherent. 

“I don’t care—you know? I mean, I went to juvy. Did I ever tell you that? Anyways, I don’t care what Sing did—I’ll—I’ll help him out. Charlie made it sound so bad though—told me not to go back home. Sorry Eiji. Fuck. We probably have to get a hotel. Do I tell Nadia?”

“I think we should take it step by step.” Eiji exhales, turning into the parking lot of the police station. “Do not let Sing see you are frightened—he is probably traumatized.”

“Yeah.” Shorter nods, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Yeah—yeah. Okay. Be right back. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Eiji breathes, watching Shorter shut the passenger door. He glances out into the station, and it looks fucking nuts inside. In the middle of the night too. Something is going on. Something really big. 

_ It’s okay.  _ Eiji thinks, squeezing his eyes shut.  _ You and Shorter look out for one another. You will both figure this out. _

He sits in the car for a couple minutes, trying to slow his heartbeat. There are sirens in the distance. Every cop in the city must be working tonight. He peeks his head up when there’s movement by the door, and freezes. Shorter’s got Sing in his arms, wrapped up in his yellow hoodie, and he’s  _ rushing  _ towards the car. Eiji flicks the button to unlock the doors, and immediately puts the car in reverse with his foot on the brake when Shorter glances at him, the  _ hurry up _ evident behind his eyes. 

Eiji leans over and pushes the passengers door open, Shorter not even pausing to put Sing in the backseat. And shit—Sing is—

“What  _ happened  _ to you?!” He yelps, whipping his head around to look behind him while the car backs up. Shorter pushes Sing back from his lap to look him up and down. 

“Sorry Shorter!”

“Go Eiji—I don’t think we were allowed to take him just yet— _ fuck!” _

Eiji is almost panting at this point, careening out of the lot and out into the street.

Sing suddenly starts sobbing, burying himself into Shorter’s shoulder, who just holds him. 

“What’d you do. You kill someone?” He pauses, and he’s so calm it’s almost scary. “What’s going on?”

“Shorter! I—“ Sing looks around the car, almost paranoid, and Eiji grips the wheel.

“Whatever you say will not leave this car, Sing.” He mumbles, teeth clenched. “Just tell us.”

Sing gasps, and clings to Shorter like a lifeline. 

“I stole some shit from the Lee’s place—broke in—and I got caught—Yut Lung had me do it—said it would change everything around here but—“ 

Eiji nods a long, flicking his turn signal to hop on the freeway. 

“What did you steal?”

Sing seems calmer now, his cheek presses against the window. 

“Some files? Something like that? A bunch of envelopes from the locked up part of Wang Lung’s office.” He swallows. “Golzine is after me now. Charlie said so.” 

“That’s fine.” Eiji breathes, shutting his eyes for a split second; before zoning in on the dark road ahead. “He is after me as well.”

It’s silent for a moment, Sing shifting to sit between them by the center counsel. They don’t know where they’re going, and nobody’s really making a plan. Eiji reaches over to turn up the volume on the radio, fill the silence with something other than heavy breathing. It’s fizzing in and out between music, when Shorter nudges his shoulder. 

“Should probably put the news on.”

“Right.”

Eiji flicks between channels, before pausing, all the blood draining from his face.

“....who is currently being sought after by police—5’8–5’11, resides in lower Manhattan, legal name is Eiji Okumura…..”

———————

“Hua Lung left an hour in—said something happened. You did it, right? Come on. Call me back, Sing.”

Yue sighs, wrapping his arms around himself, before dropping his phone to his side, the voicemail  _ still  _ not going through. Call it intuition, or the missing car behind Chang Dai, but he’s starting to think things didn’t go as planned. 

He walks up the back steps, it’s the middle of the night, or rather early in the morning, so there’s no reason for everyone to be out. Lifting his hand to the employee entrance, and whispering a personal prayer, Yue pulls back to knock on the door—

But it opens.

Nadia’s got Shorter’s helmet tucked under her arm, his keys twirling between her fingers, and gasps when she sees him.

“Shit Yue! Fuckin’ scared me.” She sighs, shaking her head. “Do you know where the  _ fuck  _ everyone went?!”

Yut Lung subconsciously grabs her wrist, and he can feel her pulse, waking up to an empty house—boys long gone.

“I’ll explain if you take me somewhere. There’s something we have to go get.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE YOU!!! Please let me know if you enjoyed!!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You wanna stick with Callenreese?” 
> 
> “Why are you asking?” Ash murmurs, tilting his head in confusion. 
> 
> “Just wondering.” Max hums, peeking down at the paper. “August twelfth huh? Your birthday is close to Jessica’s.”
> 
> “Why did you ask me that?”
> 
> Max just grins, before leaning against the counter.
> 
> “Because—“ he starts, meeting Ash’s gaze. “If you wanna make it even more of a mouthful, just let me know, and we can stick Glenreed on there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers: mentions of gun violence, aggressive behavior, discussions of rape, mentions of CP, tense situations, mentions of police.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long! I got hit by a shrink ray and now I type super slow because my computer is huge.

Shorter’s bike is pressed against the curb, Nadia leaned forward, peeping her light into the slot.

“Yeah, we’re not getting in there.” She murmurs, 

Yue shakes his head, leaning down to sit on the sidewalk. 

“We  _ have  _ to.”

Nadia wrinkles her nose, stomping her foot a little, just like her stupid brother. 

“And why’s that?”

Yue groans, pressing his palms into his eyes. “Because Sing threw fucking— _ porn _ in there.”

Nadia blinks, shaking her head. 

“You’re saying my little cousin is on the run—because he stole your brothers—“ 

“Nadia—listen.”

——————

There’s a window above the kitchen sink that Ash used to stand on a stool to peep out of, and now he looks straight ahead and can see the rolling fields of the backyard. How strange. He grew up here. 

No, he grew up all at once, between someone’s sheets.

“So fucking cool.” Max sighs, interrupting his thoughts. He’s touching everything, looking around the place. “Hey—Aslan.”

“Yeah?”

Max’s eyes dart around in earnest, and he looks light, full of joy.

“Can I uh—look around?” 

Ash nods, picking up on how quickly Max darts to the hallway. It’s so weird how he knew Griff—maybe he even loved Griff. He clearly cared about him, at the very least. But he had never even been to his house, stepped into his room. 

_ Eiji and Shorter loved you long before you even had a room of your own to sleep in.  _

Ash shakes his head, trying to rinse his mind of the thought. Do they love him? Does anyone? Max said he did. 

Dino’s voice rings in Ash’s ears, something about how nobody could love him if they tried. 

_ Maybe they don’t have to try.  _

———————

Ash snags a few photos of Griff, rifling them around in his hands. Too bad he’s wearing his baseball uniform in the only one of them together. It’s a shame.

Like a lot of things in his life. 

Max comes up behind him, and Ash can feel a hand on his shoulder. Gentle and tentative, unlike the usual confident touches that linger on his body.

“Found your birth certificate—oh, and—“ he pauses, flipping a little loose leaf towards Ash. “Cool if I keep this? It’s your brothers.”

“Yeah.” Ash nods, and Max looks down at the paper in his hands. 

“Aslan Jade Callenreese.” He grins, shaking his head. “Pretty name.”

Ash groans, snagging the paper out of his hands.

“Don’t give me shit about it.”

Ash looks down at the slip, his name printed at the top. It’s refreshing to see. Dino’s got a fake one for him—says his name is Golzine on there. Common with the Club Cod kids who last longer than most. Ash brings it to his chest and exhales. Dino’s just some guy. Ash is his own person. 

There’s a beat of silence, before Max clears his throat. 

“Would you ever consider changing it?”

“What?” Ash replies. “My name?”

“Yeah.”

Ash raises an eyebrow. “I mean—I don’t think it’s  _ that  _ weird.”

_ What’s he fuckin’ implying? I’m not a Golzine. _

“You wanna stick with Callenreese?” 

“Why are you asking?” Ash murmurs, tilting his head in confusion. 

“Just wondering.” Max hums, peeking down at the paper. “August twelfth huh? Your birthday is close to Jessica’s.”

“Why did you ask me that?”

Max just grins, before leaning against the counter.

“Because—“ he starts, meeting Ash’s gaze. “If you wanna make it even  _ more  _ of a mouthful, just let me know, and we can stick Glenreed on there.”

Ash’s eyes widen. “What?”

“I don’t think you could include all of em in your signature though.” Max continues. “Which is a perfectly valid reason for not wanting to change it. Whatever you want to do is what I want to do.”

“I’m not doing that to you.” Ash rushes out, shaking his head. All the bloods drained from his face—this is too nice. Too good. They’re good people—Max and his family. And he’s not. “Max—thank you. Again. But holy shit—you don’t need a murderer hanging out with your son. You don’t.”

Max winces, and rubs at his temple. “You wanna talk about what he said back there? The uh—gun thing?”

“If you want to know.” Ash murmurs. He owes Max honesty, at the very least.

“What happened?” Max asks, and he’s leaned back against Griff’s chair, which is fine, cause Griff wouldn’t mind Max touching his things. Ash shrugs, putting the paper down on the counter and crossing his arms. 

“A lot of stuff.”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Ash smirks, drawing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. The house creaks in the wind, and there’s a soft scuttling against the wood beneath his shoes. They probably still have a mouse problem.

“I shot someone as a kid. That’s all.”

Max nods, and he looks like he’s searching for the right thing to say. 

“So—when you’re a kid—You don’t understand the….the  _ weight, _ of those things.” He explains, gesturing a little. “If you give a kid a gun—and they use it—it’s cause they aren’t big enough to grasp—to like, foresee the consequences?” 

Oh. He’s trying to be sweet. Quell the guilt that comes along with being stuck as someone like Ash. 

“You ran away because—you did that and felt bad? Honey—you were just a boy. I’m sure I would’ve done something regrettable myself if I got my hands on that as a kid.”

Ash can feel his heart beating in his chest, shoulders hunched together in self defense. He sighs, before looking up at Max, lip wobbling.

“But—Max.” He starts, willing away the onslaught of tears. “Sometimes—sometimes I think I'd do it again.”

It’s almost invisible, but Max stiffens at Ash’s words. He acts all calm though, just nodding along like Ash confessed to something mundane. 

“Why’s that Aslan?”

“My little league coach—the guy I shot—he’d been fucking me.” Ash drawls, eyes trained on the ceiling in a far off look. He switches back to Max, forcing a smile on his face. 

“Even back then—I was happy about it. Cold, right?”

Max’s face falls—and Ash is getting really good at making the poor guy unhappy.

“Crazy right? I mean—I actually murdered someone.”

Max shakes his head, trying to bring himself back from his daze.

“Self defense honey. Let’s call it that.”

“My life wasn’t in danger. I could’ve taken it.” Ash laughs, gesturing down to his body. “I mean, fuck! I’ve taken a  _ lot  _ worse. Trust me.” 

Max doesn’t reply, just looks at Ash like he’s crestfallen, hands shoved in his pockets. Ash’s finger twitches, and he can still feel the trigger beneath the pad of skin. If he could go back in time right about now, he’d shoot someone else instead. 

Like the little blonde boy in the room.

“And—“ Max interrupts his thoughts, shaking his head. “Where was your dad during all this? Letting someone put their hands on you?”

“He sent me back.” Ash murmurs. “He said that my coach could do that stuff as long as he was paying me.”

“Did he now?” Max murmurs, before nodding towards the direction of the diner. “That man in there  _ prostituted _ you?”

“That’s a strong word.” Ash defends, swallowing. “I mean—I only had one client—“

Max reaches out one of his hands, and rests it on top of Ash’s head, scratching lightly, before pulling away. He grabs Ash’s things from the counter top, handing the younger boy his bag, before pausing. 

“Let’s go give the keys back, yeah?”

  
  


Ash’s sneakers pound on the outside patio, creaking and bouncing against the wood. Max is the one walking ahead of him this time, all quiet and fast. It makes Ash feel kinda sick—a worry he can’t quite place gnawing at him. He takes a breath, before raising his voice a bit.

“Are you mad at me?” 

Max stops for a second, and turns, smiling at him, soft and nonthreatening.

“No.” 

Ash relaxes a little at that, but stiffens again at the muffled buzzing that starts up from Max’s pocket. 

“What’s that?” He asks.

“Just a text from Jess.” Max murmurs, brow furrowed. “Said she’s with Shunichi? One of our friends Eiji’s staying with?” He shrugs, shoving it back in his pocket. 

“Is that weird?” 

“No—not really.” Max mutters, slightly concerned. “But uh—they can take care of each other. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay?”

They’re approaching the diner, Ash’s heart sinking with each step. It’s cool outside, the sky dark, crickets chirping. Max’s voice interrupts his thoughts.

“I’m gonna be straightforward with you Aslan—“ he starts, jutting his thumb out towards the restaurant. 

“Do you wanna watch or wait in the car?”

Ash’s eyes widen, his suspicions from the quiet walk towards the building confirmed. 

“He’s got a gun.”

“Never stopped me before.”

Ash swallows, wrapping his arms around himself in the breeze. 

“You don’t have to do that for me.”

Max laughs, and it makes Ash want to smile almost.

“I’m not that nice. This for me.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Ash murmurs, wrinkling his nose. “I’ll watch.”

——————

“This way?” Eiji asks, pointing towards the highway ramp. Shorter nods and presses a palm to the wheel, guiding him towards the second exit. 

“This is gonna take us right out of New York.” He explains, squinting in the dark. 

Eiji wracks his brain for a map of America, the smaller states still a blur to him. “Where will we end up?”

“Hopefully Mass, but if they try and check us when we cross over, we’ll shoot for Vermont. Don’t wanna stop for gas though.”

Eiji doesn’t reply, peeping towards the rear view mirror. Sing is still asleep in the back, curled into a little ball. He can’t be getting pulled over now, or they’re all dead. 

“Want me to drive?” Shorter whispers, keeping his

voice low. Eiji shakes his head.

“I’ve got it.” 

_ Plus.  _ He thinks to himself.  _ You should save your energy. In case I need you to— _

The car sputters, interrupting his thoughts, and Eiji can feel a soft resistance when he presses down on the gas. 

“Shorter—“

They’re slowing to a stop, the check engine light glowing in the dark. Shorter’s got his eyes shut, and covers his mouth with his hand. 

“Pull over, and stay in the car.”

Eiji shifts towards the side of the road, and puts the vehicle in park. When Shorter unbuckles himself and clicks the door open, his shirt rides up, and he’s got Nadia’s pistol in his waistband.

Eiji doesn’t get bad feelings often, so he starts praying when Shorter shuts the door.

“Eiji?” Sing murmurs, and Eiji makes out his silhouette, sitting up in the dark.

“Hi, Sing.” Eiji coos, looking back at the younger boy. His face is looking rough—they haven’t gotten a chance to stop and clean him up. Eiji leans over, stretching to reach into the glovebox. Nadia has to have some sort of wipes in here, right?

“Where are we going?” Sing hums, rubbing his eyes. 

Eiji rifles through the car, and sighs when his hand bumps a little plastic container. Bingo.

“We have to leave New York. Come sit up here with me.”

Sing clambers into the front passenger seat, and Eiji flicks on the light, jumping when he hears Shorter pop the hood. Turning back towards Sing, he opens the little container, they’re not all dried out, thankfully. It’s never a good idea to let dirty wounds fester.

“Lift your chin—“

“Oh—no, Eiji—I got it!” Sing flusters, flying backwards towards the window. Eiji huffs, making a  _ come back!  _ Motion with his pointer finger. 

“We are not doing this, Sing!”

Sing furrows his brow, but leans forward again. He’s pouting, but he’s staying still. Eiji rubs the scuff on his cheek all circular, and it must feel nice, cos Sing shuts his eyes, and leans his forehead down. 

“Eiji….”

“You must be tired.” Eiji hums, and the wipe’s already covered in blood. It makes him cringe—Sing’s just a little boy. But most people don’t seem to care about those things. 

“Thanks for coming to get me, Eiji.” Sing murmurs, and he’s nodding off again, because his cheek is heavy in Eiji’s palm.

“Of course.” 

“I’m gonna go to jail or something—huh? Shorter too—cause I wasn’t supposed to leave yet. And you.”

Eiji shakes his head, grabbing another wipe. 

“Shorter won’t let that happen.”

Sing looks like he’s about to say something else, but Eiji whips his head around at a small tap on the window, and clicks the door open. 

“So—“ Shorter starts, rubbing his nose. “I’m gonna need you to try and start it a couple times—but we might be walking.”

———————

“Okay, so.” Nadia breathes, swinging her leg around the bike. “Why don’t we just tell em we have it? You know, like blackmail?”

“Because they can  _ kill  _ us.” Yue groans, pulling at his hair. “Club Cod is this—huge fucking thing! Like—an international thing. You know how many people would be after you?!”

Nadia just stares at him—fucking blank like she isn’t hearing a word he’s saying.

“This is going to sound super dumb.” She starts, adjusting herself on the bike. “But Max’s girl has a gun. I’m saying we just show up at the actual restaurant with it.”

“You’re so fucking stupid.”

“What? Don’t think they’ll let me into Club Cod?” She asks, leaning back to look at him. “I wanna have a word with Dino, is all.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I love you!  
> Follow me on tumblr @hearteiji  
> We can laugh together!


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